Behind the name change

Behind the Name Change

The name “Carpenter Place” retains an important link to our past, while opening up wonderful possibilities for the future. 

Our society requires some effort, thought and investment of energy to change a name. An individual wishing to change his or her name must file a petition, provide notification, and have a judge sign the order. A corporation planning a name change must follow a prescribed order of notifications, voting and resolution from the Board of Trustees and then register with the Secretary of State. These steps are necessary because a name is a very significant thing in the life of a person or organization. 

The change from “Maude Carpenter Children’s Home” to “Carpenter Place” was not made quickly or lightly. As early as 2003 in a Board Retreat, there was discussion about whether a name change could be beneficial in helping raise awareness in the larger community about our mission. 

In August of 2007, a series of focus groups was held with donors, Board and Resource Council members and other stakeholders. Some of the reasons mentioned to consider a name change were:

“Children’s Home” does not accurately describe the program or age range of our residents and may limit our effectiveness in expanding programming to other populations or ages. 

“Children’s Home” can bring up an institutional, “orphan’s home” image. 

“Maude Carpenter Children’s Home” is cumberson to pronounce and is easily misunderstood by someone with no previous knowledge of the agency. 

People often confuse us with the Wichita Children’s Home. 

Over the last year, a committee made up of myself, two Board members and two volunteers experienced in the area of marketing and branding, met several times to consider a proposal for an effective and positive name. We decided to embrace the blessing of having a name with such positive connotations as “Carpenter” and retain that part of our current name. The next issue was identifying a word that would have a strong emphasis, yet be broad enough in anture to accomodate plans and programs well into the future. ”Place” was the best candidate. 

We know there will be many of you who will always refer to this ministry as “Maude’s” and that’s okay! But the Board and staff who are looking to ensure that this mission is still thriving 20, 40 and 60 years from now feel strongly that an image “makeover” will help us grow our programs as well as our support base.