07/07/2026
From Door-to-Door Fundraising to 60 Years of Love: Our Origin Story
GFCRH is excited to be celebrating our Diamond Jubilee year. Great Falls Children’s Receiving Home has housed, fed, clothed and loved thousands of children from across the state over the past six decades. Many people have heard of us and may know our mission. But many don’t know our birth story, and that needs to change.
In early 1966 a group of Great Falls citizens including many members of the clergy from various churches came together to address an unmet need in the community. There was nowhere for children to be placed on an emergency basis by Child and Family Services. There were receiving homes operating in both Billings and Butte at the time.
Throughout the spring and summer of 1966 money was raised to start and fund the operations of a Receiving Home in Great Falls. By the fall a door-to-door fundraising campaign was organized by several churches in town. The local high school football games raised money at half time as well.
The Board of Directors held meetings anywhere that would have them to educate the community about the benefits of having a Receiving Home. Newspaper articles at the time state they were hoping to open doors by Christmas 1966. The organization had raised over $9,000 by October 1966. Various other local organizations donated several thousand dollars more. On February 24, 1967, an article stated “a request from proponents of a receiving home at 727 4th Ave N was denied after protest from six adjoining property owners. The board suggested that proponents of the home discuss the proposed receiving home with the protestants. The home would be a place for neglected children.”
Since the first house selected fell through, GFCRH found itself paying up to 3 foster homes (licensed as the Receiving Home) to be available 24/7 until we became a tenant of St Thomas Orphanage for just over 12 years. A house purchase fell through in March 1981 due to protest from neighbors. That house was located at 2809 1st Ave N. In June 1982 we moved into our current house. From our current home we care for up to 14 children at a time. We are licensed by the state of Montana. We have averaged one youth a year aging out of foster care from the Receiving Home over the last seven years. GFCRH has cared for children for several years at a time. We've had multiple children with us 3 years or more in recent years. We are the only facility in Great Falls that can take boys and girls aged birth to 17, and as mentioned above, children can stay with us until their 18th birthday. We transport to school, medical appointments, work, and outings. We have two tutors that come in to work with the children approximately 5 days a week.
As we celebrate our 60th year, your support means more than ever. Please consider a Diamond Jubilee celebratory donation to help us continue this vital work. From door-to-door donations in the 1960s and 70s to a home filled with love today — your support fuels our story. Commemorate our 60th anniversary with a gift of $60 (or any multiple of 60!) to help ensure every child continues to find warmth, comfort, and hope within our walls - donations should be sent to GFCRH, P.O. Box 1061, Great Falls, MT 59403 or through PayPal (https://www.paypal.com/paypalme/gfcrh). Thank you for your continued support to the children of Great Falls and Montana!
