About Us
1922: The Evangelical Good Samaritan Society
was granted state licensure of incorporation for a fee of
$5.
1923: The first Good Samaritan Society
home was opened in Arthur, N.D. with 13 residents. 
1932: A former Presbyterian college in
Fargo, N.D., was offered to the Good Samaritan Society for
the Crippled Children's School. Lelend Burgum was superintendent.
1938: Rev. W.B. Schoenbohm joined the Good
Samaritan Society as superintendent. Anne Carlsen, a quadruple
congenital amputee, joined the staff as a high school teacher.
1940: Lutheran Hospitals and Homes Society
purchased the Crippled Children's School and moved it to
Jamestown, N.D. Construction began in the fall at Horseshoe
Park on six acres purchased for $450.
1941: Despite inclement weather, nearly
1,000 people gathered Sept. 21 to help dedicate the new school.
The original building cost $58,000 to construct and was paid
for entirely with private donations. It opened its doors
to 18 students on Sept. 22. The School included two modern
classrooms, a craft room, library, therapy room, dining hall,
recreation room, and dormitory for 35 children.
1943: A new sunroom was dedicated Sept.
5.
1946: Anne Carlsen earned her master's
degree in education from Colorado State University in Greeley.
The School purchased additional acreage
to the east and west of the school.
1948: Anne Carlsen was named the school
principal. The School purchased additional acreage to the northwest.
1949: The Easter Seal Wing, dedicated May
29, included three classrooms, rooms for occupational therapy,
physical therapy, hydrotherapy, speech correction, storage,
and exercise and a dormitory for 32 boys. Additional remodeling
provided a junior high school room, a staff dining room and
additional medical isolation facilities.
Anne Carlsen completed the doctoral program at University of Minnesota
and was named child guidance director of the School.
A summer session called the Cerebral Palsy Training Program and Parents
Conference was started in cooperation with the N.D. Easter Seals Society.
1950: Dr. Anne Carlsen was named superintendent
after Rev. W.B. Schoenbohm resigned to take a new position
in Iowa.
1953: Two classrooms and a laundry unit
were added to the growing facility. The School's enrollment
climbed to 59.
A postgraduate business education course started to offer young people
with special needs a chance to prepare for office jobs. It was discontinued in
1968 when two commercial colleges in the state were on ground level and accessible
to those with disabilities.
1955: Students of the high school and commercial
department started the first all-school yearbook, the Island
Echo.
1958:  A Ford Foundation grant for $33,200
and Hill-Burton Funds approved by the N.D. State Health Planning
Commission provided money for construction of the industrial
arts department, homemaking department, and new kitchen and
dining room facilities.
Dr. Anne Carlsen received the President's Trophy as Handicapped American
of the Year. The award is given annually to the person who has helped to advance
the cause of the employment of the physically disabled.
1962: The new occupational therapy department
and all-purpose auditorium/gymnasium, with a seating capacity
of 400, was dedicated in May. The auditorium included a permanent,
handicap-accessible stage area.
1965: A new heating plant, physical therapy
department and speech therapy department with a special classroom
for the hearing impaired were added.
1966: North Dakota Governor William Guy
honored Dr. Anne Carlsen with North Dakota's highest honor,
the Theodore Roosevelt Roughrider Award. The award is given
to persons who have brought credit to the state by achieving
national recognition in their fields of endeavor.
1968: The new limb and brace department
was constructed. A vocational evaluation program, sponsored
jointly by the School and the Vocational Rehabilitation Division,
started and continued through 1973. The prevocational classroom
for students not academically inclined but able to benefit
from further practical training and therapy, was kept as
part of the program.
1971: The Crippled Children School dedicated
a new modular dormitory designed to house 32 students. Thousands
of gifts, matched by a 46 percent grant from Hill-Burton
Construction Funds, supported the project.
1975: Dr. Anne Carlsen was inducted into
the National Teachers Hall of Fame at Fullerton (Calif.)
College. 
1976: A second modular dormitory was added.
1980: The name of the school was changed
to Anne Carlsen School, in honor of Dr. Anne Carlsen who
had served as teacher, principal and administrator for more
than four decades.
1981: Dr. Anne Carlsen retired from her
administrative position and took a part-time consulting job
with the School. She continued to maintain office hours and
serve as a consultant and mentor to staff and students until
the time of her death.
Dr. Anne received the W. Clement Stone Foundation Endow-a-Dream Award,
given each year to honor an individual who has used a positive mental attitude
to overcome adversity and make contributions to the betterment of humanity. A
check for $50,000 was given to the School for its endowment fund.
Henry Edwards was named the school's administrator.
1983: An extensive remodeling project updated
the staff and student dining areas, hallways and one dormitory.
President Ronald Reagan appointed Dr. Anne Carlsen vice-chair of the
President's Committee on Employing the Handicapped.
1984: The focus of the Center's programs
expanded to include young people with severe multiple disabilities.
1985: The therapeutic swimming pool and
whirlpool were completed so students could begin benefiting
from physical, recreational and social therapy. The pool
floor can be raised and lowered to any water depth between
zero and five feet.
A statue of Dr. Anne Carlsen and a child was dedicated at the front entrance
of the school.
1986: The School's program was expanded
to include services and placement for children with autism.
1987: A Communication and Mobility Assessments
program began. As part of the program, a team of therapists
evaluates children within and outside the School to recommend
more appropriate communication and mobility programming.
1988: Anne Carlsen School was licensed
as an Intermediate Care Facility for the Mentally Retarded.
The local Head Start program relocated in the school building, giving
young children with and without special needs a chance to interact with each
other.
The Community Integration and Vocational Development Program began providing
young adults with disabilities valuable work experiences as trainees in local
businesses.
1990: Michael J. Numrich was named Administrator.
The Kids First program began offering evaluations and treatment for children,
birth to six years of age, in Jamestown and the surrounding areas.
The Advanced Care Unit opened, providing state-of-the-art medical care
and skilled personnel for medically fragile youngsters.
Dr. Anne Carlsen received the L.B. Hartz Professional Achievement Award
from Minnesota State University Moorhead and the Judge Henry and Helen T. Graven
Award for Outstanding Christian Lay Work from Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa.
 1991: The School celebrated its golden
anniversary with a year-long series of events, including
a staff-alumni reunion and celebration banquet.
The program offering daily living skills and vocational experience for
young adults with disabilities was named Transitional Services.
1992: The School's education services received
accreditation as an elementary school from the prestigious
accrediting agency, North Central Association.
Fundraising began for the Resource Center, a regional focus of information
training and equipment for children with special needs and their families.
The Store Room opened its doors with consigned crafts and goodies. Kids
gained work experience there before they moved to jobs in the community.
Dr. Anne Carlsen was chosen as one of 22 North Dakotans to serve on Governor-elect
Ed Schafer's transition team and she was named Psychologist of the Year by the
North Dakota Psychological Association.
The School received a President's Grant from Lutheran Health Systems to
develop and put in place a system of providing rehabilitation services to children
from all Lutheran Health Systems facilities throughout the nation.
1993: The name of the school was changed
to Anne Carlsen Center for Children to better reflect its
broader scope of services.
1995: Dr. Anne Carlsen and the Center celebrated
her 80th birthday. Contributions honoring her totaled more
than $25,000 and helped purchase a handicapped-accessible
van.
1997: Mike Gillen was named administrator.
The Center began a five-year renovation project to enable it to better
meet the needs of its children.
1998: The Anne Carlsen Tree of Life was
dedicated, revealing 700 names of those who had contributed
at least $5,000 to the Center. Total contributions to the
Center had exceeded $26 million to that point.
1999: The Nature Trail's bridge was completed,
thanks to Eagle Scout John Goetz who constructed the bridge
as part of his scouting project.
Dan Howell was named administrator.
The Guest House, which serves as a home-away-from-home for visiting families,
was re-sided.
2000:
The Center's parent company, Lutheran Health Systems, merged with Samaritan
Health System of Phoenix, Ariz. to create Banner Health System.
2001: The Center celebrated its 60th anniversary
with a number of events including: a ribbon-cutting ceremony
which culminated a five-year, $1.6 million remodeling project,
an alumni reunion where over 70 graduates of the Center gathered,
and a gala event highlighted with a benefit concert by acclaimed
pianist Lorie Line and her Pop Chamber Orchestra. Over 1,500
people attended the performance which raised more than $20,000
for Center programs.
The Council on Quality and Leadership in Supports for People with Disabilities
gave the Center its highest accreditation rating - three year with distinction.
Less than 10 percent of organizations accredited by The Council receive this
grade.
2002: The Center's namesake, Dr. Anne Carlsen,
passed away on Dec. 22.
2003: On July 1, the Center became an independently-owned
organization operated by a governing board of directors.
Construction began on a residential expansion and remodeling, adding
three residential cottages to the campus and remodeling the existing dorm area,
increasing the Advanced Care Unit from six to 16 beds.
2004: In July, 16 students moved into new
homes located just yards from the main campus when two of
three houses were completed in the first phase of a major
remodeling and expansion project designed to enhance the
living environment to better meet the needs of today's residents.
The gardening program is created at the Center, allow-ing students to grow their own vegetables
and fruits. Students also produce market and sell homemade salsa.
2006: The Chaplaincy Program is created, as Pastor JoAnne Moeller is available to students, their families and Center staff for all spiritual needs.
2008: The name of the Center is changed to the Anne Carlsen Center, to better reflect the wide variety of ages the Center serves.
The Center expands its community-based services, offering more supports in more parts of the state. As part of the expansion, the Center begins to serve individuals over the age of 21.
Medically-fragile students are allowed to continue residing at the Center following graduation.
In April, the Center holds the first of four major autism-related conferences in 2008. ACC invites nationally-recognized speakers to educate families and professionals from across the state.
The remodeling project in the home living areas of the Jamestown campus is completed, increasing the Center’s ability to serve medically-fragile children and behaviorally-challenged children in less-restrictive environments. State-of- the-art, highly-accessible features allow students to be engaged in and comfortable in their home environments.
The Solarium project is completed, thanks to the generosity of ACC donors. The new structure, complete with features like non-slip floors, full-spectrum growth lights, and radiant floor heating, expands the gardening program to year-round. Students grow vegetables and flowers from seed for their gardens.
The Sunroom, built in 1943, undergoes a major renovation. New ceramic tile, cabinets, furniture and appliances have made this space more comfortable and convenient for home economics class, Girl Scouts and family visits.
Dr. Anne Carlsen’s legacy is celebrated in ACC’s new logo. The logo incorporates the authentic signature of the Center’s namesake, as well as a redesigned butterfly.
ACC opens a Community Services office in Grand Forks and begins providing In-Home Supports and Personal and Community (Day) Supports to individuals and families in Northeast North Dakota.
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