Not Far from Home

'Not Far From Home? describes what it was like for a young man to live at the Lake Farm Boys Home, an orphanage back in the middle of the twentieth century. The orphanage, located in Kalamazoo, Michigan near White's Lake, was established in 1907 by a Mr. William Dewing and other leaders in the community. Here, young boys could live on a working farm, and learn agriculture skills in order to make them successful and employable once they grew up and joined the working world. The facility grew to accommodate thirty five boys. This home was provided to the neediest of children for as long as the child required.When Clarence (Pop) Dooley accepted the position of Administrator in the early 1940?s he brought with him the concept that the boys needed more than just an agricultural education to prepare them for entering society as young adults. He developed a means to show the boys how to succeed in life through hard work, continuing education, and caring about each other. He not only worked with the boys when they were wards of the State, but followed up and assisted many of the young men once they left the orphanage at age seventeen.The Lake Farm staff instilled in each boy a set of rules that would assist them when they entered society on their own. They were taught to be responsible for things they did, and were held accountable when things didn't turn out right. They were taught that teamwork went a lot further than selfishness. They learned that respect was a top priority: respect for the law, respect for an adult, and even more important, respect for each other. And above all, they were taught that soap and water was cheap, and cleanliness was next to godliness. This book is about the Lake Farm Boy's Home. While anyone could argue that the Lake Farm would never replace the warmth of a loving home environment, this place came as close to a home as any institution could, thanks to Pop Dooley and his staff. Many of the boys who came back to the Farm over the years said that they thank God a place like the Lake Farm existed for them. It's too bad that today's neglected children have not been given a similar opportunity.