What We Do

Jessie's Kids Foundation is named for Jessie Levering Cary, a Tippecanoe County, Indiana, native who was dedicated to the welfare of children. Jessie’s Kids Foundation generates funds through fundraising events, donation requests, and grants, and also accepts in-kind donations, in order to carry out its mission of supporting at-risk youth in Tippecanoe County specifically through Tippecanoe County Youth Services, Juvenile Alternatives programs, Juvenile Probation, and Oakland High School.

Jessie Levering Cary and her son Franklin

On December 11, 1929, Franklin Cary donated funds for the construction of Jessie Levering Cary Home for Children, named in memory of his wife. The home was dedicated on November 30, 1930. Until 1972, Cary Home operated as a home for orphaned and abandoned children, as well as providing housing for boys and girls with bad home lives. Cary Home later became a residential treatment center for adolescent boys and girls.

Jessie’s Kids Foundation, Inc. (formerly The Friends of Cary Home for Children) expanded its mission in 2009 to better serve at-risk youth in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. We now provide funding for educational, recreational, and family support programs at Cary Home for Children as well as Juvenile Alternatives, Juvenile Probation, and Oakland High School.

Today Cary Home for Children is a residential treatment facility that strives to prepare adolescents for successful re-entry to the community through case management and treatment, educational support, family services, and behavior modification.

Tippecanoe County Youth Services

Rebecca Humphrey

Tippecanoe County Youth Services Executive Director

For more information

Cary Home for Children

Jessie's Kids Foundation works closely with the staff at Cary Home for Children to provide resources for Tippecanoe County youth in residential treatment.