BRENTWOOD, Tenn. (WTVF) — Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes cut the ribbon on its expanding campus in Williamson County, a years-long project aimed at giving every child in its care their own special place.
The nonprofit takes in and cares for children whose parents or family members cannot care for them. Currently, the campus can house 16 children, with hopes to double that number as more homes are built.
One of the most significant changes in the expansion is that each child will now have their own room.
"Because of what our children are sometimes exposed to before we have them, a roommate might not be the best idea," said Greg McCoy, president of Tennessee Baptist Children's Homes.
"And so this gives a whole another level of security, of personal space, house parents a little more at ease," McCoy said.
"And so they're learning responsibility as well, 'cause we need to keep those homes clean and picked up," McCoy said.
For McCoy, the expansion means more than just more space.
"We want them to feel like us that it's a safe place for them. We want them to feel loved," McCoy said.
Mardi Lucas spent 11 and a half years as a house parent off Franklin Road, and she remembers each child who stayed with her and her husband, Ron. Together, they helped raise more than 130 children.
"These two girls right here, she's a senior, she's 20. We are still in touch with them. This young lady here, she went in the military. She's a mom, married with two kids," Mardi said.
Ron reflected on what it means to be a father figure to children who may not have had one.
"I get to be a dad. To somebody that may not have had a dad figure. And it's just, I mean, it's so rewarding," Ron said.
For the Lucas family, success in this work is measured in trust.
"It's hard to describe success in a setting like this, but when the kids allow us to settle, allow, they get settled in and allow us, they start to trust us," Ron said.
Supporters, donors and friends of the nonprofit gathered to celebrate the new milestone. For Mardi and Ron, the greatest reward comes from watching the children they've cared for reach their own milestones.
"When they're reunified and when they do good, when they are on that mountaintop, whether it be in school, they get a good grade in school, they'll come home. Hey you know what I did, I took a test today and I got a C on it and its the excitement you see in their faces," Ron said.
And once a child learns they are truly supported, Mardi said, everything changes.
"Yeah, share their fears. Share their successes. Share...But once they know you're there for them, it's so awesome," Mardi said.
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