Hillcrest Children’s Home Reunion set for Aug. 20

WEST PORTSMOUTH, Ohio — The Hillcrest Children’s Home Annual Reunion is set for Saturday, Aug. 20, 2016, at 11 a.m. The event will be held at Earl Thomas Conley Riverside Park on U.S. 52 in West Portsmouth. The event is being organized by former Hillcrest resident Rose Mowery.

Last year’s reunion saw a 400 percent increase in attendance by former residents, friends and family of Hillcrest, ranging from the 1940s through the closing of Hillcrest, according to Mowery. The 2015 Hillcrest Children’s Home Reunion did remarkably well. Mowery said former residents came from nine different states across the country.

“It did really well last year. We had a lot of former residents. It was their first time attending the reunion in years, but we also had many in which it was their first time ever attending,” Mowery said. “They came from as many as nine states away, because they are spread out all over the United States.”

It was through hard work and working with other former residents of Hillcrest that made it all possible.

“It was possible through a lot of hard work. Last year I had six months to put this together and find people,” she said. “A lot of the Hillcrest people from the Facebook page helped with names, and give me the means to try to find people, but we did pretty well. Then of course there was some word of mouth, and I mailed out invitations as I found the former residents. I was very pleased given the amount of time that I had to pull that together.”

The event will include an auction, entertainment, games and prizes. Everyone is asked to bring a covered dish. Informational brochures for the reunion are now available at the Scioto County Visitor’s Bureau.

Additionally, there will also be a display window at the Scioto County Welcome Center during the months of July and August. Former residents of Hillcrest can find the private group on Facebook under Hillcrest Children’s Home.

If you have any information or pics related to Hillcrest, or the whereabouts of former residents, we encourage you to pass the word along or contact Rose Mowery at 740-876-4585, or by email at: [email protected].

Monies collected through the auction are designated towards the reunion, Mowery said.

“The funding is done strictly through the people at the reunion. Also, we hold an auction to try to raise funds for each year. The money donated the current year is what is allocated toward the cost of the reunion for the next year,” she said.”We are really enjoying seeing it thrive and continue to grow,” she said. “We have located more people since last year. We are looking forward to another great year for the 2016 Hillcrest Reunion.”

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Submitted photo | Daily Times Picture of the Hillcrest Children’s Home taken by a former resident, Robert Cunningham in July of 1971, only a few months before it was to be razed.
http://portsmouth-dailytimes.aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2016/05/web1_Home-3-copy.jpgSubmitted photo | Daily Times Picture of the Hillcrest Children’s Home taken by a former resident, Robert Cunningham in July of 1971, only a few months before it was to be razed.

Submitted photo | Daily Times Irene McCune, now 83 yrs. old sharing her lifetime collection of photos and memories of Hillcrest with me. Irene was at Hillcrest from 1943-1956.
http://portsmouth-dailytimes.aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2016/05/web1_Hillcrest-1-copy.jpgSubmitted photo | Daily Times Irene McCune, now 83 yrs. old sharing her lifetime collection of photos and memories of Hillcrest with me. Irene was at Hillcrest from 1943-1956.

Submitted photo | Daily Times Rose Mowery revisiting the grounds of Hillcrest Children’s Home on April 13, 2016, for the first time since leaving June of 1968.
http://portsmouth-dailytimes.aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/28/2016/05/web1_Rose-4-copy.jpgSubmitted photo | Daily Times Rose Mowery revisiting the grounds of Hillcrest Children’s Home on April 13, 2016, for the first time since leaving June of 1968.

By Portia Williams

[email protected]

Reach Portia Williams at 740-353-3101, ext. 1929, or on Twitter @PortiaWillPDT.

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