HISTORY OF SWFLC
The mission of Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center, a Mississippi County grassroots organization located in East Prairie, Missouri, is to build healthy families. Community residents, realizing the troubled plight of many area families, raised initial funding to begin the operation in March of 1992. Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center initially began as a pilot project of Epworth Children's Home in St. Louis, Missouri. By 1998 the center's programs had grown so exponentially that the center went out on its own, became its own 501c3 and changed its name to Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center. The name "Susanna Wesley", was selected because she is often referred to as one of the best examples of parenthood.
When the center opened in 1992 the initial focus was to assist families who were at risk of out of home placement of their children for various reasons including extreme poverty, substance abuse, and lack of parenting skills. Services offered included parenting classes, life skills classes, adult basic education, and counseling. It became apparent very early on that the center was serving a large number of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The need for victim services programming was great and the nearest shelter program was 50 miles away thus a formal victim services program began. The victim services program has continued to grow over the history of the agency.
In April of 2015, Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center acquired a new building located in Charleston, MO through a private donation. The Charleston building hosts many of the SWFLC operations and outreach programs. A facility in East Prairie was also acquired in order to meet programming needs. The acquisitions of these buildings allowed SWFLC to doubled emergency shelter bed space and provided additional space for therapy.
When the center opened in 1992 the initial focus was to assist families who were at risk of out of home placement of their children for various reasons including extreme poverty, substance abuse, and lack of parenting skills. Services offered included parenting classes, life skills classes, adult basic education, and counseling. It became apparent very early on that the center was serving a large number of victims of domestic violence and sexual assault. The need for victim services programming was great and the nearest shelter program was 50 miles away thus a formal victim services program began. The victim services program has continued to grow over the history of the agency.
In April of 2015, Susanna Wesley Family Learning Center acquired a new building located in Charleston, MO through a private donation. The Charleston building hosts many of the SWFLC operations and outreach programs. A facility in East Prairie was also acquired in order to meet programming needs. The acquisitions of these buildings allowed SWFLC to doubled emergency shelter bed space and provided additional space for therapy.