The Welcome Home Foundation, Inc. (WHFI) started its humble beginning in 1983 when the late founder, Fr. Joe Coyle, MSSC, formed his first deaf class. It was registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) as a non-stock, non-profit corporation on March 6, 1989 to continue to serve differently-abled children and to have the opportunity to go to Special Education Schools in Bacolod City. WHFI is a home for children who are hearing-impaired and live outside the city but also serves as a center where all the Deaf can meet together. It is an operating /school organization for the Deaf. Its main office is located at Calle de Mercedes, Villa Valderrama Subdivision, Bacolod City.
Its purposes, among others, are “to enhance the curriculum for an educational system for the Deaf in a building equipped with state of the art technology, and to come up with caring and competent professionals who will work toward achieving this vision and to give special consideration to adult education for unschooled Deaf.”. The Foundation’s programs focused on the following areas: (1) Educational Resource Center (ERC) – Special Pre-School Education Program for the deaf children in Bacolod City and in the outreach centers in Escalante City and in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon; (2) Residential Care-for the out of town deaf students who are studying in the city SPED centers in Bacolod City, Escalante City and in Malaybalay City, Bukidnon; (3) Sponsorship/Scholarship Program; (4) Special Religious Education (SPRED)-catechetical formation; (5) Adult literacy program for the deaf high school graduate, remedial classes in English and Math, Computer literacy and agriculture classes.
