The Woman Who Helped Turn Compassion into Action: Marie Becker

In September 1947, Marie Becker met the Reverend Charles Danner, who was seeking help for the home he and his wife, Alberta, had for 22 kids with no other safe refuge. The Danners dreamed of every kid growing up in a loving family, but they didn’t have sufficient funds or support to ensure they could continue carrying out their passion. 

Marie was deeply moved by that conversation and asked her husband, Raymond, if the Sertoma Club could help. Ray expressed his doubts that even the club, of which he was a member, could handle such a project. Marie met with the club anyway, but they decided the work on the Danners’ home was too much for them to take on. Marie’s heart sank.  

Then, Marie was approached by Hulda Roper, Lincoln’s only female police officer, about a property on the outskirts of Lincoln near a small suburb known as College View. The property, which was used as a conscientious objectors’ camp during World War II, had a farmhouse and a long barracks-style dormitory with plenty of room for kids. Marie passed this information on to the Sertoma Club, and the club investigated. 

The property offered more possibilities than trying to fix up the Danners’ current home. And it was for sale. One member of the club made the $500 down payment, and the board members each wrote checks for the remaining $7,500, a substantial amount of money at the time. 

That October, Ray, Marie and the Sertoma Club met at the newly purchased, five-acre property to clean the grounds and make repairs. On December 23, the Danners and the children in their care moved into their new home just in time to celebrate the holidays.  

CEDARS is forever grateful for Marie’s persistence, leadership, and unwavering belief that every child deserves a safe place to call home.