Pine House Progress

By Tim Sauder, Advancement Director

What does it take to build a new house? More than you would think if it's on a licensed childcare campus. It takes a need, a functional design, lots of thinking, planning, permits and prayer, a good site, good weather, trusted contractors, skilled volunteers, lots of money and the blessings of God. It seems all of these are slowly coming together for our Pine House. (In fact, our design is so functional and effective that other organizations are touring our Cypress House for ideas from this reference standard building.)

After a long, cold winter and a late spring (Did I say good weather?) construction finally began to move in April as heavy equipment and crews arrived to dig the Pine House basement. By the time this is printed we should see a noticeable change with the footings and floors poured and walls framed. As the local contractors progress we will also be looking to volunteers from the Midwest to do a few key components like roofing and masonry. Please call us if you have the skill and time to help with either of these portions this summer.

To put a group home like this into operation that serves 7-8 troubled teens plus a houseparent family, there are other components that need to be included. The finished 8000+ sq ft house costs around $900,000, slightly over $1 per sq ft. This includes landscape and a geothermal system. However, to furnish the house and provide a van and small car, plus purchase a small house in nearby Grabill for our Alternate Houseparents, brings the total project cost up to $1.1 million. That is why we are so dependant upon our faithful supporters throughout the country to support us in a very generous way.

So far we are greatly encouraged and thankful with individual donations and church collections of $212,543 and a very generous $50,000 gift from the Ft Wayne-based Foellinger Foundation. We still have a long way to go. We encourage you to share generously as we grow to serve additional children who are in desperate need of the care and hope offered in our Christian program.

This spring and summer we are encouraging companies, families, Sunday Schools, Vacation Bible Schools, etc. to commit to our Furnish-A-Room (FAR) project by raising the funds to completely buy all the furniture and bedding needed for one resident's bedroom. For larger groups there are larger rooms like the living room or kitchen to be supplied. Check with your local Gateway Woods Rep, VBS Coordinator or Sunday School Superintendent to learn if your church is planning an FAR project. For complete information on FAR please call our office 888 443-4283 (GATE) or check our web site at gatewaywoods.org. Further updates will be on the web as summer progresses.

Construction Pictures