Children’s home in Turbeville reopens

After being closed for two years, Turbeville Children's Home has reopened its doors under new ownership.

The home has been in existence in Turbeville since 1949 and was owned for 65 years by the South Carolina Free Will Baptist State Association. In February 2014, the association voted to close the home because it was not being able to operate at full capacity with the flow of income and expenses, according to a statement made on the home's former website.

In October 2015, the home was purchased by the International Pentecostal Holiness Church. The facility is a division of Falcon Children's Home and Family Services, a private nonprofit institution that also operates a children's home in Falcon, North Carolina.

The children's home officially reopened on March 1, and the demand for it was immediately felt, said Mike Dillard, the new director of the facility.

"A week before we opened, we received a call from the South Carolina Department of Social Services inquiring if we could house eight children," Dillard said.

The home has a maximum capacity to house 36 children, and 26 are residing there. The children, ranging in age from seven to 17, came through DSS and may have a history of either abuse or neglect, Dillard said. The facility can legally accommodate children under 21 years old.

The length of stay at the home varies, based on each child’s case, he said.

“It could be a year, for some it could be several years, for others several weeks,” he said. “The ultimate goal is reunification with their families.”

Dillard said the facility includes three dormitories, with an employee, or “house parent,” who stays at each facility 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The house parents work one week and take a week respite, switching out with another house parent.

House parents, Dillard said, not only cater to a child’s physical needs, but their also emotional needs.

“We want to develop a sense of family here,” he said. “I know we can’t replace their real family, but we want them to feel as part of a family as much as possible.”

Bridget Evans, a house parent, said it is a demanding job but also extremely rewarding.

“We are ‘mamas’ to them,” she said. “We treat them as our own children. Many of them at first may be scared or angry, but they are seeking care and happy to be here.”

Evans said she attempts to build a positive relationship with the children in her care.

“It’s about building a certain level of trust and letting them know that we’re here to help them, not to hurt them,” she said.

She said many times the children come from homes with little or no structure, and that may be a challenge, adjusting to a place where structure is required.

“The most rewarding thing is seeing a smile I didn’t see before,” she said. “Seeing them start to converse and blend in with the group is also great.”

Dillard said the home also houses abused or neglected teenage mothers and their babies through a special program.

Children all have a daily schedule they have to follow and will be attending local schools in the fall, he said. During the summer, the facility hires two seasonal workers who provide daily recreational activities.

Children take field trips and enjoy activities at the Sumter Family YMCA.

“We have been very fortunate to have the partnership with the Sumter Family YMCA and them allowing us to use their facilities for our children,” Dillard said. “We’ve also been blessed by the generosity of other churches, businesses and individuals who have assisted us.”

The home is primarily funded through DSS and supported by the International Pentecostal Holiness Church.

Monetary donations should be designated to “Turbeville Children’s Home” and sent to P.O. Box 229, Turbeville, SC 29162.

This story was originally published July 30, 2016 at 5:54 PM with the headline "Children’s home in Turbeville reopens."