ANDRUS | Who we are

About Andrus

ANDRUS (Julia Dyckman Andrus Memorial) is a private, non-profit organization that helps secure strong, promising futures for children, families and communities by promoting stability, increasing resilience, and rebuilding hope.

We specialize in teaching children and families the skills to express and cope with strong emotions. We help increase the well of resources available to them to manage the impacts of adversity, particularly severe emotional, behavioral and mental health issues in children.

Guided by our Sanctuary Model, we offer a range of preventive and restorative services for children and families across the tri-state area. Our professional training programs, clinical research and evaluation, and advocacy efforts extend our reach around the globe.

At ANDRUS, we believe every child, family, and community deserves to feel safe, valued and loved. Inspired by the values and vision of our founder, John Andrus, we continually seek innovative ways to improve our services and develop new models of care that will strengthen families and give every child hope for the future.

ANDRUS is committed to providing equal access to its programs and facilities without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or disability.

History

A knock at the door

In 1853, six-year old Julia Bourne and her family left Switzerland to begin a new life in America. Their journey was long and arduous. Julia’s father died crossing the Atlantic, and her widowed mother took the wrong ferry from New York Harbor, landing in Yonkers instead of Boston. The Dyckmans opened their door to the family, providing the help they needed to regain strength and heal. When Julia’s mother and siblings moved on to Boston, the childless couple invited young Julia to stay. She became part of the Dyckman family, and she thrived. In 1869, Julia married the bold and ambitious son of a Methodist minister. They raised eight children together, while his shrewd investments in real estate and timber made John ANDRUS one of the ten richest men in the country.

Creating a legacy

When Julia died seventy-five years later, John Andrus fulfilled a promise he made to her. He transformed Julia’s childhood home on the quiet slopes of the Dyckman family farm into a sanctuary for orphaned children. Supported entirely by the family’s Surdna Foundation, The ANDRUS Children’s Home transformed lives for over sixty years, giving orphaned children the safety and opportunity Julia once found with the Dyckmans.

Building on a promise

Grounded in the values and vision of John Andrus, the ANDRUS board actively pursued and supported the development of new ideas and approaches to helping children in need. An ANDRUS-sponsored study of foster children in the 1970s inspired the launch of the Orchard School, which combines residential care, academics, and clinical services for children with special needs. Over the next two decades, growing understanding about mental health issues in children shifted the focus at ANDRUS to those diagnosed with Severe Emotional Disturbance (SED).

Expanding our reach

As our knowledge and commitment grew, so did our reach. ANDRUS joined with like-minded organizations to open new doors for children and families to mental health clinics, childcare services, and community-based programs across Westchester County. To fund its continuing expansion, ANDRUS grew its base of support beyond the Surdna Foundation, winning grants and attracting generous donations from institutions and individuals who saw the impact ANDRUS was making. We hit a turning point when Dr. Sandra Bloom brought her Sanctuary Model to ANDRUS. This brilliant framework helped us better understand our clients and how trauma influences behavior for both individuals and organizations. We were so empowered by the Sanctuary Model that we partnered with Dr. Bloom to bring this transformative approach to other human service organizations through the Sanctuary Institute.

ANDRUS Today

More than 90 years after John Andrus created his orphanage, ANDRUS now opens its doors to over 4,500 children and families every year. Our mental health and community-based services reach families from across the New York metropolitan area and the ANDRUS Center for Learning and Innovation extends our reach to social welfare organizations from Albany to Australia. Little Julia’s story of strength and resilience continues to inspire the leadership, faculty and staff at ANDRUS to develop and deliver innovative programs that will give vulnerable children and families the stability, security, support and hope that opens the door to their limitless future.

Vision / Mission

Through our proven care models, innovative programs, professional training, influential research and determined advocacy, ANDRUS aims to be a national leader in shaping policies and practices that prevent and overcome the effect of childhood adversity and promote resilience to secure strong, healthy futures for children, families and communities.

Vision

Communities where all children and families can thrive.

Mission

ANDRUS nurtures social and emotional well-being in children, families, and communities by delivering a broad range of vital services and by providing research, training, and innovative program models that promote the standard of excellence for professional performance in and beyond our service community.