Ariel Oxendine

Eliada was founded in 1903 by Rev. Lucius Compton as a home for unwed mothers. Often these women would implore him to keep their children and raise them. By 1906, he realized that to make a real difference in the cycle of poverty, he had to start with the children. Dr. Compton founded Eliada to serve the children he called “the least, last, and lost.” For many years, Eliada was a self-sufficient farm, growing food and raising cows for the Biltmore Dairy operation. As the times changed, so did Eliada. While no longer an orphanage, today Eliada cares for more than 600 of WNC's most vulnerable children and youth. Eliada by the Numbers • 114 years • 50 children living on campus • 60 children living in foster homes • 315 children in early education and afterschool • 320 acre campus • 240 staff • $10 million budget • 11 horses, 1 llama, 2 goats, 3 pigs, various barn cats RESIDENTIAL TREATMENT Children live at Eliada while healing from trauma. FAMILY FOSTER CARE & THERAPEUTIC FOSTER CARE Children are cared for by an Eliada Foster Family while awaiting adoption or reunification with biological family. DAY TREATMENT Children attend school at Eliada instead of public school to better meet their special learning needs. WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT Older teens who’ve spent their lives in foster care gain work skills while learning to be self-sufficient adults. EARLY LEARNING Children in the community learn and grow in our five-star Child Development Center, 21st Century Community Learning Center afterschool program, and NC Pre-K program.