Bobbie Jo Hartline is the secretary for the city manager of Dowagiac. In the past, she has volunteered for the Dogwood Fine Arts Festival and various festivals that have taken place in downtown Dowagiac, as well as with the Dowagiac Area History Museum. Currently, she is volunteering for Dowagiac’s Orphan Train Project.

The Orphan Train was a welfare program that relocated homeless children from crowded areas to foster homes in the rural Midwest from the 1850s to the 1920s. Dowagiac’s current Orphan Train Project aims to raise awareness about the program’s history, as Dowagiac was one of the first stops on the Orphan Train. To raise awareness, the Orphan Train committee is planning a mural painting project, a theatrical production telling the stories of the Orphan Train children, a bilingual coloring book and a reunion for the descendants for the Orphan Train riders.

What is the purpose of the Orphan Train project?

To bring awareness to Dowagiac’s role in the history and that this was a great program, and that most of these children led great lives. We also wanted to start a dialog about how the foster system began, and how adoption has improved over the years.

How long have you been volunteering for Dowagiac’s Orphan Train project?

We started early last summer, in May or June.

What do you do for the Orphan Train project?

I’m on the grant team, and I also am key point for publicity and printed material, which is my specialty on the team. As part of the grant team, we wrote the best grant we thought we could, and we were awarded over $14,000 for those projects.

What inspired you to get involved
in the Orphan Train project?

Since our Dowagiac Area History Museum started, I realized how we can take for granted our story. When the museum was opened, I saw how many of our stories were told and how really connected we all are. I became fascinated with that. So, when the team said “let’s start a program honoring the Orphan Train, and honor that that past, while also building something for the future,” I said, “yes, I’m in. I’ll help.”

What do you get out of volunteering?

Number one, it’s fun. Number two, we get to meet so many people when we volunteer, and a lot of times, we meet people that this is their first time to our community. When you get to share all that is special about your community with someone who might not know about certain resources is the most fun.

How would you encourage others to volunteer?

It takes so little. You can volunteer one day or one evening for an event. If you find something you are passionate about, you can get more involved at your comfort level. It really doesn’t take much time, and there are so many worthy organizations in town that would just love an hour of your time.