John Wilkinson, CEO of Intermountain Children’s Home, approached Geoff Birnbaum, Executive Director of Missoula Youth Homes, and suggested a “joint venture” to combine the Intermountain model of treatment for latent age children with the Missoula Youth Home’s knowledge of serving children within a community setting.
1999
After reviewing a feasibility plan which was presented to both Missoula Youth Homes’ and Intermountain Deaconess’ Boards in May 1999, both organizations agreed and formed Rocky Mountain Partnership for Children Inc.
The Partnership began by offering Therapeutic Foster Care services in July 1999 with “borrowed” staff from Youth Homes for leadership and “borrowed” staff from Intermountain to import the model. PFC Staff offices were within the Dan Fox Program Office in Missoula.
The “partners” received five grants from individuals (Smith-Kliber and Gallagher Families) and foundations (Ronald MacDonald House Charities, Chutney Foundation and Engelhart Foundation) totaling $653,500.
Construction began inside a shell of a fully reconstructed home on South Third Street West in Missoula. This Children’s Home was named The Rosemary Gallagher Children’s Home because Rosemary Gallagher made an initial gift to the house as well as a large commitment to assist with the funding of full time therapists in the Children’s Home.
2000
Finding the name Rocky Mountain cumbersome and commonly used, the name Rocky Mountain Partnership for Children was officially changed to Partnership for Children and a new logo was adopted in the fall of 2000.
2002
Seeing the success and demand for such treatment, the Youth Homes offered to transfer the two Francetich Children’s Treatment Homes to Partnership for Children in the fall of 2002. As the transfer and expansion of PFC occurred, PFC explored and decided to merge the existing homes into two facilities, each to serve six children and thus equaling the total of 12 children served in Missoula in the previous three 4-bed homes.
Over time, the borrowed staff from Intermountain were transferred to the employment of PFC.
2003
In 2003, PFC hired its first Program Director and, later, its first Director of Operations.
2004/2005
The Foster Care office was moved from the Dan Fox Program Office in Missoula to a downtown space in the fall of 2004 and then to its current office at the North Reserve Business Center in December 2005.
2007
In 2007, the Partnership opened a Family Care Office in Ronan to get a worker closer to the Tribal Offices from which we were doing lots of collaborative cases in group and family care.
2008
In May 2008 Partnership for Children hired the second Director of Operations.
