MS SC687

Joins the City of Natchez in celebrating the 200th Anniversary of Natchez Children's Services, the oldest nonprofit organization in Mississippi and among the oldest continuously operated child-focused organizations in the United States.

Recognizes the organization's founding on March 12, 1816, by Natchez women who raised $1,200 to establish a "charity school" for less privileged children during a time of economic and political crisis following the War of 1812.

Documents the organization's evolution from the Female Charitable Society (1816) to the Natchez Orphan Asylum (1825) to the Protestant Home and finally to Natchez Children's Services, adapting its services from residential care to modern outpatient programs including counseling, behavioral therapy, and the Children's Advocacy Center.

Notes the organization's historical resilience through yellow fever epidemics in 1817-1819, name changes to reflect its nonsectarian nature, and transition from housing orphans to serving neglected, displaced, and at-risk children with family counseling and therapeutic services.

Directs the resolution be presented to the Director of Natchez Children's Services, forwarded to the Natchez Board of Aldermen, and made available to the Capitol Press Corps.