By Father Kenneth Borowiak
for the Register
The annual dance to support Villa Marie Home and School for Exceptional Children will be held Friday, Feb. 7, from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Sandhills Global Event Center in Lincoln.
Nestled on the west end of the Marian Center near Waverly, Villa Marie has been a haven for children who struggle to learn.
Started in 1963, Villa Marie was a follow-up to St. Thomas Orphanage, which cared for orphans in Nebraska from 1906 to 1966. Beginning in the early 1960s, care for children in special situations transitioned from institutionalized care to group or foster home settings.
At that time, then Bishop James Casey and Msgr. James Dawson made the decision to shift the local Church’s focus from the care of orphans to the care of intellectually challenged children.
In the last six decades, an average of 20 students annually have called Villa Marie Home. Students from across Nebraska who could not be mainstreamed in local public schools found a school and home in Villa Marie where they could learn and be accepted as children of God.
The Marian Sisters of the Diocese of Lincoln, and dedicated lay specialists, have provided sacrificial care in educating and mainstreaming Villa Marie students. In addition to local day students, students from out-state Nebraska board at Villa Marie during the school week. Sister Jeanette Rerucha M.S. is the current principal of Villa Marie.
The vision and goal of Villa Marie is to teach and develop the children, in order to help them live at least semi-independent lives and have gainful employment.
The Villa Marie board – comprised of professional lay Catholics, parents of Villa Marie alumni, priests, and women religious – have created an ambitious agenda and identified goals to promote Villa Marie; to encourage enrollment and arrive at financial sustainability. The educational cost per child at Villa Marie is substantially higher than in the public or Catholic school sectors because of the specialized needs of the students.
The first step toward these goals is a strategic plan for the home and school.
A mainstay of Villa Marie’s fundraising efforts is an annual dance. During the dance, benefactors and patrons of Villa Marie have the opportunity to meet the students and the staff of the school. Revenues from the dance are used for ongoing operational expenses.
This year’s dance—the 61st annual event—will be held at the Sandhills Global Event Center, at the corner of 84th Street and Havelock Avenue in northeast Lincoln. Its theme is “hoedown,” with guests invited to wear boots and hats.
The dance includes food, a live DJ, dancing, and heartfelt stories of the difference generosity makes in the lives of Villa Marie students.
Tickets and sponsorship opportunities are available at https://auctria.events/vmdance2025.
Courtesy photos
