Dr. Karl Menninger, who founded The Villages 40 years ago, believed that there was an important link between contact with the natural environment and healing for those who had been abused, neglected or abandoned.  He also firmly believed in the benefits of abandoned and abused children being able to live in a well maintained home in a beautiful setting with strong, supportive and nurturing parents living with them.  He believed by observing concerned parents modeling a well functioning family, young people could learn to form and maintain their own future family, free from the abuse and neglect they had suffered themselves.   The Villages’ youth always have been encouraged and supported to make positive contacts in the community.  They attend public schools and participate in extra curricular activities and organizations.  They work, volunteer, and socialize in the community.  Some drive and go on dates.  The homes take trips, attend concerts, plays and athletic events. They go to museums and cultural festivals.  

The Villages was unique in the late 1960’s.  At that time most children with similar behaviors and mental health issues lived in institutional settings as portrayed in the Mickey Rooney ‘Boys Town’ movie.   Today many more of these children live in family style homes.  In part this is due to the dissemination of The Villages model through Dr. Karl’s extensive writing and contacts and through a National Training Center operated by The Villages through the 1980’s.  Today even Boy’s Town is a collection of cottages with live-in parents. 

In addition to the group homes, The Villages operates the W. Clement Stone Nature Center.   The Stone Nature Center preserves 372 acres of woodland and prairie environments and conducts nature education classes using a ‘program animal’ collection of native wild life.  Also located on the grounds of the Stone Nature Center is ‘the ropes course’, one of the largest Adventure Challenge courses in the region.  These programs, which began as a part of the therapeutic environment for The Villages’ youth, now also serve between 10,000 and 12,000 other youth every year.