The Rochelle Area Community Foundation announced Tuesday a new designated fund – Future of Focus House – that will be aimed at continued improvement of the Ogle County facility that recently celebrated its 50th anniversary.

Located north of Rochelle, Focus House provides a continuum of services for at-risk youths, including residential, counseling, education and alternative programming.

The facility offers residential treatment for boys ages 12 to 17 in the justice system who are ordered by a judge to go to the facility. Kids in the program eventually transition back to their homes after education, treatment and public service work at Focus House.

The Future of Focus House Fund was started through RACF by John and Dina Bearrows of Rochelle. The couple heard success stories of former residents at Focus House’s 50th anniversary celebration and were moved to start the fund.

Once the RACF fund reaches $10,000, it will start granting unrestricted funds toward future improvements at Focus House, including potential capital improvements for the county-run facility.

“I want to thank the county for its support of Focus House,” John Bearrows said. “I thought about the things that Focus House may need that it doesn’t have funds for now. Maybe it’s something for a classroom, or a new building or part of a new building. We’re working on getting people and corporate sponsors to contribute to this fund. Our hope is that this can help with Focus House’s future. It’s amazing to hear someone’s story of how they evolved with guidance and support here.”

RACF Executive Director Emily Anaya said the fund will start as an “acorn fund” before it reaches $10,000 and endowment status. After it starts to receive grants from the fund each year, Focus House still will be able to apply for other RACF grants. RACF fundraises and gives grants to community organizations each year.

“RACF’s job is to educate people about this fund and how it can impact our community,” Anaya said. “It’s a nice way to continue to grow and educate people about what Focus House is. Fifty years is phenomenal, and they’ve done a great job, and now they’re going to grow even more and expand, and hopefully this will help facility improvements to come to fruition. RACF wants to help with that, and it’s great working with longtime donors who see that impact.”

Focus House Executive Director Brenda Mason said the establishment of the fund “means everything” to Focus House, which is in the early stages of potential building improvements to continue to serve at-risk youths.

Focus House serves youths of Ogle County who likely would have to travel out of the area for services if the facility didn’t exist locally.

“The agency has been around for 50 years, and the building has been around for 50 years,” Mason said. “Eventually, we do need to grow out of our building and into something else. I know that’s a couple million dollars, and this is a step in the right direction and a step for conversations. RACF being willing to help us promote this and start this fund is so wonderful. The county has been wonderful, but they can only do so much. It does take other people.”

Along with success stories, John Bearrows, who also serves as Rochelle’s mayor, was impressed by concept plans for Focus House’s future.

“In order to have more of those stories, they need this facility improved,” John Bearrows said. “That’s why I thought we’d put something in place to help with that part of it. I want to see long-term growth and long-term success here. The success stories coming out of Focus House are the leaders of tomorrow.”