In 1913 Floyd Starr purchased forty acres of land on Montcalm Lake to found Starr Commonwealth for Boys, a non-profit home and residential school for wayward, delinquent and neglected boys. At that time, the only building on the property was an old barn in which Starr and the first two boys stayed until the first structure was completed. Today, 155 boys are served on a 300 acre campus encompassing facilities built with private contributions. Services to youth were expanded with the founding of the Van Wert, Ohio, campus in 1951 and the merger with the Hannah Neil Center for Children in Columbus, Ohio in 1978. Focusing on positive support in the character development of troubled children by providing a well-rounded academic, social and spiritual exposure, Starr Commonwealth is now a nationally recognized child care organization.