• Press Releases
• In the News
• Christine's Blog

Donation aids Texas Baptist Home

Waxahachie Daily Light - March 6, 2010 - The Texas Baptist Home for Children, which will celebrate it 100th anniversary of operation June 12, recently received new mattresses, donated by local retailer Sleep Experts, for its newest foster home.

The new 3,800-square-feet brick veneer dwelling, the Palmer Transitional Living Building, is designed to house 16- to 17-year-olds. It contains a spacious common room and six sleeping quarters each containing two beds, a desk and computer. There is a suite for relief parents and quarters for the permanent house parents, Larry and Linda Gilbreath. Also included in the facility is a large utility room with two washers, two dryers and a freezer and a large kitchen equipped with two refrigerators and two ovens.

Scotts Furniture of Waxahachie made a donation of a sofa for the common room and offered significant discounts on desks for each bedroom. D'Anne Harrington, store manager for Scotts Furniture, was on hand for the deliveries Thursday.

"We are so glad to partner with the Texas Baptist Home. This organization has such wonderful ways to take are of kids. It's just awesome. I feel very glad and fortunate to have the opportunity to help them as they help us," she said.

TBHC president Eddie Marsh agreed.

"I'm so thankful for the great partnership we have with Scotts Furniture and with Sleep Experts and so many other merchants and friends in the community," he said.

Landscaping for the facility, which is located on Richmond Lane, was designed by the Greenery of Waxahachie.

Kelli Saunders, human resources and personnel director, explained the role the Palmer Transitional Living Building would play in the program of TBHC.

"It is built for 16- 17-year-old high schoolers. It contains a boy's side and a girl's side - each with three bedrooms," she said. "While here, they will be taught skills necessary to function in life, learning such things as how to prepare a budget, grocery shopping, how to make doctor's appointments, cook, do laundry and other essentials needed to help them prepare to live on their own."

She explained that while some home residents have family that can help them, many have no family to fall back on, hence the transitional home program is designed to help the youth make the transition to adulthood.

For more information about the Texas Baptist Home for Children, visit their Web site at www.tbhc.org or call 972-937-1321.

- By Paul Gauntt, Daily Light staff writer