In 1966, Four Denver businessmen: Gale Neiswanger, Alfred Wiesner, Charles Hughes and Michael Reidy founded Savio House as an orphanage for "wayward boys." They purchased the historic Red Brick Building at 325 King Street. The building was built in 1910 by Architect William Norman Bowman and his wife Alice May.
The Denver Lions Club assumed a board leadership role in 1974 and fueled the organization’s growth and development. Savio remains a project of the Denver Lions Club today.
Savio has evolved in the 54 years since its founding and is driven by the belief that every child has a fundamental need and right to a stable and supportive family. Savio now serves more than 2,000 Colorado families a year, with its major impact being in the Metro Denver and Colorado Springs areas. About two-thirds of cases are referred due to youth behaviors. It now provides ten evidence-based models and delivers 90% of its interventions in the family’s home or community. Its ability to launch and sustain this type of programming has made Savio Colorado’s clear leader in providing evidence-based interventions. These programs have consistently achieved superior outcomes when compared to residential facilities and other forms of treatment