Our History

For 70 years, Cardinal Services has taught the community that when individuals with challenges are valued, supported and connected to their community, everyone wins.

Cardinal Services began in 1954, when parents in Kosciusko County were confronted with a lack of resources to support them in raising children with disabilities. Desperate for a solution, a number of these parents began connecting with each other through the “letters to the editor” section of their local newspaper. Before long, their children began meeting for daily classes at a family home in Milford. Although these families had varying needs, they shared the same dream — that their child could do more and be more than society seemed to understand.

What started as a handful of children learning from a single teacher in a living room has grown into an organization with a staff of roughly 380 employees who serve nearly 6,500 people each year.

With the ongoing commitment of those original families and the countless others who have joined in along the way, Cardinal Services has filled a vital niche that helps many individuals, as well as their families, to live their best lives.