OCC marks 40th birthday
Center honors retiring director
Ouachita Children’s Center held a birthday celebration Friday to commemorate 40 years of helping youths in crisis in Garland County, but also to say goodbye to Executive Director Linda Ragsdale, who is retiring after a lifetime of service to families in need.
The center’s staff gathered with local officials and dignitaries at the center, located at 339 Charteroak St., for a grand cake cutting and to reflect on all the organization’s ac-
complishments since it opened its doors in 1977.
The 1928 historic building in Hot Springs is an emergency shelter for youths who have been removed from their homes due to abuse or neglect, those who have been referred by juvenile courts, runaways, and families who need help managing situations beyond their resources, a news release said.
OCC also offers support services for youths and their families in Hot Springs and at its outreach center in Arkadelphia. A nonprofit organization, OCC offers case management, aftercare for incarcerated youths, educational support groups, and advocacy for the needs of youths in crisis and their families.
Under the leadership of Ragsdale, OCC was restructured to become therapeutic and trauma-informed in its mission. “We went from asking, ‘What’s wrong with you? Why are you acting that way?’ to ‘What’s happened to you and how can we help?’” Ragsdale is often quoted as saying. Her professional expertise and her compassion have guided OCC for almost seven years, the release said.
Each year, almost 250 youths come into the emergency shelter and nearly 400 youths and their families receive help and resources through outreach and aftercare. In the 20-bed, 24-hour shelter, the average stay for a child is 37 days. The average age is 15, and ninth-graders are the average for residents and those who work with case managers and attend educational support groups.
“OCC exists today because a movement began in the mid1970s to move away from youth incarceration and toward community based resources, prevention, and early intervention that would reduce reliance upon lockup facilities. In response to that movement, a group of community advocates recognized the need for an emergency shelter for youth in crisis. With the help of juvenile justice officials, OCC was founded in 1977,” the release said.
The building that is home to OCC continues the tradition of caring for children that began in
1910 as the Interstate Orphan’s Home. Convinced by Catherine “Mother” Birnbaum of the need for an orphan’s home, a bequest from Hot Springs business owner, Otto Neubert, provided the land and the funds for the Charteroak Street home.
The original building burned down in 1926 and was replaced in 1928 with the current building, thanks to a fundraising campaign by the Hot Springs Kiwanis Club and donated labor and materials. Eventually, the need for orphanages faded as the state shifted its efforts to place children in foster homes and juvenile training schools.
Throughout its 117-year history, thousands of youths have received the resources they needed to secure a more successful future thanks to a caring community, the release said. OCC is funded through tax-deductible contributions from generous donors and contracts with the Arkansas Department of Human Resources and the Division of Youth Services.
John Morgan, OCC’s operations director, is acting as interim director while a search committee is interviewing applicants to take Ragsdale’s place. “The game plan is to continue fulfilling our mission the way we always have — no change to that,” Sallie Culbreth, OCC public relations and volunteer coordinator, said Friday.
Ragsdale’s plans after retirement will involve mentoring her replacement, spending time with her family, and becoming an OCC volunteer.
In the OCC’s last newsletter, Ragsdale wrote, “For almost seven years, I’ve had the distinct honor and privilege to be part of this amazing organization. Although there have been plenty of challenges along the way, there have been many more rewards. I am especially inspired by the amazing staff who — in spite of low pay rates — give so generously of their hearts and souls to make a positive difference in the lives of our kids.
“I have discovered that even when staff move onto other opportunities (usually more remunerative), their experience working with our youth stays with them. I am proud, honored, and so very thankful for the opportunity I have had to serve.
“I may be shifting my role here, but as they say — once you’ve been a part of OCC it is always in your heart. I know it will always be in mine.”
A Texas transplant to Hot Springs, Ragsdale was named OCC executive director in June 2010. She had more than 40 years in social services, with 18 of those in management experience, beginning in her previous home of Fort Worth, Texas, where she advocated for meeting children’s needs and improved mental health services.
A graduate of University of Texas at Arlington and a licensed social worker since 1995, Ragsdale came to Hot Springs in late 2008 to be closer to her family and worked as a medical social worker for Arkansas Hospice before taking her position with OCC.
She was nominated as Hot Springs Chamber Woman of the Year in 2014 and is a member of the National Park Rotary Club. She also volunteers with various community art initiatives and serves on the United Way’s Childhood Poverty Committee.