Co ming here and the
decisions you’ve made
may have been one of the
put me up for adoption.
Providence Place Returns to Their Roots
BY INEZ KIRCHNER
WRITER
“ We help people see they
have a future story, and
that the earlier chapters of
their life do not define
them,” said Providence
Place CEO, Judith Bell.
“ They take the lead
in transforming
their story. We’re
the plot twist.”
Plot twists and transformation
define the unique beginning and
journey of what Providence Place has
become today. Formerly a brothel in
downtown San Antonio, its owner
Madame Volino was inspired to
transform her business into a home
for wayward girls after a pastor
ministered to her. Providence Place,
formerly the Methodist Mission
Home, became a place that rescued
girls and provided safety and protection
to anyone that needed it. Ahead
of its time, the home innovatively
provided vocational education training
in housekeeping, cooking, and
sewing, to the women to prevent
them from returning to the streets.
Many of the rescued women were
pregnant or traveling with children,
which caused hardship for the
women who could not provide
adequate care or felt the need to
return to their former life. As a
solution, the home began placing
children for adoption in the early
1900s, becoming one of the earliest
licensed adoption agencies in Texas.
Judith Bell,
Providence Place CEO
14 www.saBeacon.com December 2018
/www.saBeacon.com