As the Program Director of the Stewart Center, I spend a lot
of time preparing for the future. I plan
for the short term future (what we will do this afternoon once the children
arrive?) and I plan for the long term future (how can our programs help children find personal success and happiness as adults?) Sometimes, particularly on days when
difficult decisions are made or when things don’t always go as planned, it is
reassuring to me to think about the past—to think about the children, staff,
and volunteers that came before me. It
is encouraging to be reminded of all of the love and generosity that has driven
the Center for the last 96 years.
As an
individual, I find strength, pride, and wisdom in remembering my family—the
generations of hard working West Virginia farmers, Ohio factory workers, and European
immigrants from whom I am descended. As
a part of the Stewart Center family, I am similarly inspired by the stories
of men, and particularly women, who poured their hearts and souls into the
children of the Center.
Over
the past two years, I have done a little research about the Center—the physical
buildings that housed the Center, the Stewart family, Reynoldstown, past Missionaries who ran
the Center, families who attended the Center, past volunteers, and more. I know that I have only scratched the surface
in what I have learned. I have many
newspaper articles to discover, scrapbooks to scrutinize, and interviews I
would like to conduct.
Having
said that, this blog will serve the purpose of sharing some of the stories and history that
I have learned, for the benefit and inspiration of the Stewart Center family...past, present, and
future. I hope that you will enjoy learning about the Stewart Center's past just as much as I have.
-Megan
"This is why gratitude is so central to the life God made us for. Until we can center ourselves on what we do have, on what God has given us, on the life we do get to live, we'll constantly be looking for another life. That is why the word 'remember' occurs again and again in the Bible. God commands his people to remember who they are, where they've been, what they've seen what's been done for them. If we stop remembering, we may forget. And that's where the trouble comes."
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