Baptist Partners Break Ground on New Care Home for Developmentally Delayed Adults


April 9, 2009

FORT MYERS, Fla. – More than 100 friends and guests gathered on Saturday, March 14 in the warm spring breezes in Fort Myers for a ground breaking ceremony at the future site of a new care home for developmentally delayed adults.

The new home will be located next to McGregor Baptist Church, which owns the five acre property. It is also the same location as the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes’ Fort Myers campus, which operates a residential care home for abused, neglected, and orphaned children.

The new home will be called Protected Harbor, which is the organization that spearheaded the development and fundraising for the new home. Protected Harbor has raised $800,000 and will commence construction on the new home next month. When completed the new home will be approximately 5,200 square feet and be able to house six developmentally delayed women with their own bedroom and bathroom as well as separate living quarters for caregivers.

The new home is the result of a partnership with Protected Harbor, McGregor Baptist Church, Royal Palm Baptist Association, and the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes. Protected Harbor will oversee the construction and maintenance of the facility and the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes will oversee the staffing and daily management of the home.

The Children’s Homes has provided programs for developmentally delayed adults for more than twenty years. They currently operate a home for developmentally delayed women on their Lakeland campus called the Sonshine Home. They provide long-term care for up to seven women, but they also maintain one opening for short periods of time called respite care.

Respite care allows parents and other full-time care givers the ability to have a place for their developmentally delayed adult child to stay when they need to be away, usually up to two weeks.

In addition, the Children’s Homes operates an adult day training program in Lakeland for more than twenty developmentally delayed adults. This program provides various enrichment programs as well as basic instruction in life skills and socialization.  
  
Darlene Neptune opened the ground breaking with special music. She sang the song “On the Brink of a Miracle.” Neptune choked back tears as she told the group about her own grandson that was developmentally disabled and died at the age of three.

Speakers at the ground breaking ceremony included Dr. Jerry Haag, president of the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, Dr. Hayes Wicker, senior pastor at First Baptist Church Naples, Dr. Richard Powell, senior pastor at McGregor Baptist Church, and Everett Rafferty, director of missions for the Royal Palm Baptist Association.

Dr. Jerry Haag, president of the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes called the day’s event a ‘pivotal day in history.’ “We have all come together today and over the past several years to make a difference in the lives of some very special ladies. No one group or organization could have done this alone. We all needed each other to make this become a reality,” Haag said.
Dr. Hayes Wicker, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Naples spoke about the body of believers as he addressed the guests at the ground breaking ceremony. “We have witnessed a true unity of believers who were joined together through a common vision through prayer. God fulfilled the vision because we worship a prayer-answering God,” Wicker said.

Dr. Richard Powell, senior pastor of McGregor Baptist Church spoke about using the gifts God has given to us to honor Him. “I am inspired by the God-honoring way we will be using this property. This will be an effective use of land for His glory,” Powell said.

George and Athena Pappas, two of the co-founders of Protected Harbor in 2001 were also on hand for the ground breaking. They currently care for their daughter Cleo who is developmentally delayed.

“I’m 65 and my husband is 77. We want to know that our daughter Cleo will have a safe and loving Christian home to live in after we pass on or are no longer able to care for her,” said Athena Pappas.

“We learned that Cleo was developmentally delayed when she was three months old. We have had many challenges in providing care for Cleo, but I am so grateful that God chose us to bring her into the world,” Pappas said.

The Pappas family moved to Naples from Pennsylvania in 1993 and eventually became members of First Baptist Church Naples. It was at First Baptist that their daughter Cleo joined a Sunday school class for developmentally delayed adults.

“We met other parents and caregivers at First Baptist, which is where the idea to build a care home for developmentally delayed adults originated. In March of 2001 our nonprofit status for Protected Harbor was approved,” Pappas said.

Pictured from left include Dr. Jerry Haag, president of the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes, Dr. Hayes Wicker, senior pastor of First Baptist Church Naples, Dr. Richard Powell, senior pastor of McGregor Baptist Church (Fort Myers), and Everett Rafferty, director of missions for the Royal Palm Baptist Association join together to officially break ground on the new care home for developmentally delayed adults in Fort Myers called Protected Harbor. The new care home is a result of the joint efforts of all of these organizations.

Picture from left are George and Athena Pappas and their developmentally delayed daughter Cleo. George and Athena were part of the original group that launched the initiative for a new care home for developmentally delayed adults. The Pappas family attends First Baptist Church Naples where Cleo attends a Sunday school class for adults with developmental disabilities. Athena Pappas is holding a basket of commemorative shovels that were provided to the guests at the ground breaking event

Pictured above is an artist’s rendering of the new care home to be built in Fort Myers. Protected Harbor will construct and maintain the facility and the Florida Baptist Children’s Homes will provide caregivers and manage the program. The Children’s Homes currently operates a home for developmentally delayed adult women on their Lakeland campus.