East Kentucky Homemakers go the distance for children's home

East Kentucky Homemakers go the distance for children’s home

Contributed by Aimee Nielson

LIBERTY, Ky., (May 27, 2009) – It takes more than 10 dozen eggs each morning to make breakfast at the Galilean Children’s Home, but that statistic fits right in with the home’s theme: “Where normal is the exception.” More than 95 percent of support for the Casey County home comes from private donations of time, food, supplies and money. Some University of Kentucky Cooperative Extension Homemakers in eastern Kentucky have embraced the home and gather supplies throughout the year in hopes of making life a little easier for children and special-needs adults residing there.

Leslie County Extension Agent for Family and Consumer Sciences Nanette Banks recalled a visit to the Galilean home several years ago. A few homemakers toured the facilities including the Angel House, a haven for babies whose mothers are in prison, and the Blessing House, a place for older children and adults with physical and mental challenges. “It’s a blessing to see some of the things you don’t normally see,” Banks said. “It makes you realize that there are good people, people who will give others a chance at life. None of our homemakers came out of that tour with a dry eye; even the men had tears in their eyes. Since then, we decided to make the home one of our community service projects and bring donated items each year.”

Homemakers collect baby care items and personal hygiene items as well as homemade baby quilts and blankets to add a personal touch. They travel more than two hours at least twice a year to personally deliver the items and catch up with beloved residents. “We wanted to do something for them, so we got busy making quilts,” said Homemaker Virginia Melton. “We just wanted to put things together to bring to them, and it has touched my life. It changes you when you come down here.”

Melton has a special affection toward children at the home since she and other Homemakers have raised children of their own with special needs and physical challenges. “It really makes you appreciate what you have and makes me love my own child even more,” she said. “These kids need our help; they are doing a wonderful thing here.”
Lucille Smith, also a Leslie County Homemaker, said she’s learned a lot by visiting the home and bringing items to make life there easier. “This is a blessing to come and see this,” she said. “It makes me see how blessed I am and that my family is well; we are just so fortunate.”

Jerry Tucker and his late wife Sandy founded the home in 1986. They fought their own battles with infertility and focused their energies on helping children whose parents did not have the ability to care for them. “We were married for 45 years before she died two years ago,” Jerry Tucker said. “We were childless for seven years and then we adopted a baby from a private agency from an unwed mother. We just felt after we adopted him and then our two daughters were born, which were miracle babies, we wanted to spend the rest of our lives working with kids and so forth.” All in all, the Tuckers have adopted more than 30 children, and cared for more than 800 children through the years, rescuing many of them from situations of abuse, neglect and other circumstances.

Banks said the Leslie County Homemakers use the home’s published needs list to focus their collections of supplies toward items the home really needs. The list and more information at the home are available online at http://www.galileanhome.org/