Friends of Childhelp

History

The story of Childhelp USA^® is about two young Hollywood actresses' "chance" encounters — one with 11 homeless orphans abroad, and one with Nancy Reagan—and how they led to a lifelong commitment to helping children in need.

The Start of Their Most Enduring Roles: Friends to Children in Need

Yvonne (left) and Sara - 1959

In 1959, Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson were individually selected from 500 applicants to entertain U.S. troops during a peacetime goodwill-type tour of Asian countries. In addition to being friends, Sara and Yvonne had worked together, portraying the girlfriends of David and Ricky Nelson on the hit TV show "The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet."

They arrived in Tokyo following a devastating typhoon and set off to see the storm's aftermath. On the city's streets, they found 11 small children huddled together — their hands cracked and bleeding from the cold. After questioning them in their limited Japanese, Sara and Yvonne realized that the children were homeless orphans.

Sara and Yvonne went from orphanage to orphanage, seeking a home for the children. Because of the typhoon, all of the orphanages were filled to overflowing. At one of the stops, they learned that the children had been turned out from that same orphanage because of the shortage of space and their Amerasian blood.

Eventually, they found a woman who — due to the national emergency—was already caring for 10 orphans in her one-room hut. Sara and Yvonne promised "Mama Kin" that they would provide assistance for ALL of the children, if she would agree to take the additional 11 children. She agreed, and Sara and Yvonne fulfilled their promise.

"Mama Kin" (3rd row, far right) and several of the children from the first orphanage surround Yvonne (2nd row, left of center) and Sara (center) - 1964

Over the course of the tour, word spread regarding their efforts. By the time the two women left for the United States, more than 100 Amerasian orphans had been left in their care. When Sara and Yvonne returned to the United States, they founded International Orphans, Inc. (IOI) to provide ongoing support for the children in Japan. Eventually, IOI grew to operate four orphanages in Tokyo.

Help and Hope for Vietnamese Children

In 1966 the actresses were invited to Washington to discuss the building of orphanages for Vietnamese-American children. With the help of the Third Marine Amphibious Force, they established five orphanages, a hospital and a school for abandoned children. International Orphans Incorporated maintained the facilities until the American troops pulled out. The two young women then helped arrange a "Baby Lift" operation, which flew a total of more than two thousand children to waiting adoptive homes in America. The first female graduate of West Point was one of those babies.

"Baby Lift" - Sara (left) and Yvonne - 1975

Putting a National Spotlight on Child Abuse At

the end of the Vietnam War, Sara and Yvonne were honored for their service to the orphaned children abroad — many of whom were fathered by American servicemen. As fate would have it, Ronald Reagan—who was running for Governor of California—was also on the program that day. Afterwards, Nancy Reagan talked to Sara and Yvonne about a great problem in the United States that no one wanted to acknowledge or believe existed: child abuse. Mrs. Reagan convinced the two women to turn their energy to helping abused children in the United States. To reflect this change, the organization was renamed Childhelp USA^®. Its early efforts included research to verify the existence of widespread child abuse in the United States. That led to raising public awareness of the problem; effectively lobbying to help pass laws to encourage the reporting of suspected abuse, and make reporting mandatory for certain professionals (e.g., teachers, doctors); and the development of cutting-edge programs to treat and prevent child abuse.

Read more about the history of Childhelp USA in
Silence Broken:
Moving from a Loss of Innocence to a World of Healing

Achievements include:

Sara and Yvonne celebrate the grand opening of the Village of Childhelp West in Beaumont, California -1978

In 1978, Childhelp USA developed the first residential treatment facility exclusively for severely abused children—Children's Village USA (later renamed the Village of Childhelp West) near Palm Springs, California. Along with its excellent therapeutic programs, the village incorporated innovative programs such as art and animal therapy, which continue today.
Co-founders Sara O'Meara and Yvonne Fedderson were instrumental in designating April as National Child Abuse Prevention Month. In 1980, they joined President Carter in signing the federal proclamation in the Oval Office.
In the same year, the organization raised national awareness of child abuse and neglect through the first television special addressing the topic. Childhelp USA's program "A Time for Love" was syndicated coast to coast.
Childhelp USA in 1982 began operation of the first national toll-free child abuse hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD^®), 24 hours a day.
Throughout the 1980s and '90s, Childhelp USA continued to open new facilities and expand its programs, which directly serve severely abused and neglected children. These include group homes and specialized foster care programs in California and Virginia; a second residential treatment facility (village) in Virginia, near Washington, D.C.; and child abuse advocacy centers in Tennessee, New York and Arizona.
In November 2001, Childhelp USA dedicated the first children's mobile advocacy center in the United States. The demonstration project serves abused children in six counties of eastern Tennessee.
In June 2002, the Childhelp USA^® Merv Griffin Village of Arizona opened. Therapeutic residential care is provided for severely abused boys and girls ages 3 through 12.
Also in June of 2002, the Childhelp USA^® Children's Center of Virginia opened in Fairfax, serving Northern Virginia. The child-friendly facility provides a continuum of integrated programs, ranging from prevention programs to an advocacy center which provides assessment, investigation and treatment services to abuse victims.
In 2003, the Childhelp USA^® Foster Family Agency of East Tennessee began service. The therapeutic foster care program offers a continuum of cost-effective, wrap-around services including extensive foster parent training and support, counseling, case management, crisis intervention, and respite services. The program also includes a mental health day treatment program involving art, play and animal therapies.
The Childhelp USA^® Children's Mobile Advocacy Center of Northern Arizona was launched in October 2003. The mobile advocacy center provides a variety of services to abused children in rural and tribal communities. The first of its kind in Arizona, the mobile center offers one-stop multi-disciplinary services at selected locations in Northeastern Arizona, reducing investigation time and trauma for abuse victims and their non-offending family members.