Finding aid for the Friends of YDC records

History of Friends of YDC

The Youth Development Center, originally known as the Cleveland Boys' School (also: Cleveland Boys' Farm, Cleveland Boys' Home, The City Farm School), was founded in Hudson, Ohio, in 1903 where delinquent boys were sent to be "rehabilitated" in a farm setting. In 1958, Cuyahoga County took control of the school and the name was changed to the Youth Development Center (YDC). Eventually a separate girls' facility was merged with the YDC. The YDC continued to operate as a co-educational facility offering social work, programs and counseling in substance abuse, medical services, psychological services, educational services, recreation, religious services, and a volunteer program. The center closed at the end of 2008 because the county felt that it was too expensive to maintain. In 2009, the city of Hudson purchased the 428 acre property. At this time, no plans for the use of the property and facilities have been made.

In 1998, Hudson residents Maxine Hobbs and Mel Hubbard founded Friends of YDC, a volunteer group that offered tutoring and other support services to the Youth Development Center. One of the primary purposes of the organization was to "encourage and promote literacy in individual students at the Youth Development Center through tutoring, reinforcing academic skills and fostering a love for learning." The group disbanded when the YDC closed. In September 2009, the group donated $6500 to the Hudson Library & Historical Society to continue to promote literacy.

Scope and Content

The records of the Friends of YDC include one binder maintained by the group's secretary. The records kept in the binder include minutes and agendas of board meetings and tutor meetings, correspondence, flyers and other announcements of activities, various financial and legal documents, and a code of regulations as well as a draft of proposed bylaws for Friends of YDC, Inc. The records also include some photographs, a few flyers for the Youth Development Center, a volunteer newsletter, a tutor handbook, and a photocopied history of the Cleveland Boys' Home.

Statement of Arrangement

Restrictions on Use

The collection is open for research use.

Restrictions on Access

The collection is open for research use.

Indexing Terms

The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in the library's online public access catalog.

Subjects:

Organizations/Corporations:

Preferred Citation

[Box number, Folder number], Friends of YDC records, Hudson Library & Historical Society

Acquisition Information

The collection was donated by the Friends of YDC in 2010.

Processing Information

The collection was processed by Polly Reynolds in 2010.

Detailed Description of The Collection