2 Florida United Methodist Review Online

Children’s Home opens two new buildings

Children's Home

Photo by Michael Wacht

Cutting the ribbon at the dedication of the Florida United Methodist Children's Home's new Bruton Counselling Center are (l-r) Florida Bishop Cornellus L. Henderson, the Rev. Duncan L. Gray, chairman of the building committee; Sallie Shelton-Culver, Trustee; and the Rev. Edward L. Dinkins Jr., assistant to the president of the Children's Home.

By Michael Wacht

ENTERPRISE — The ministry of the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home took three steps forward with the official opening of two new buildings — the Bruton Counseling Center and the Waller-Jeter residential cottage — and the renovated Hardin Hall at a dedication service here Nov. 17.

Named for its benefactor, the late judge James D. Bruton Jr. of Plant City, the Bruton building was built on the site of the old administration building at the front gates of the campus. It has allowed children’s home administrators to consolidate the counseling staff, improving communication and resource sharing among staff members. It contains offices for staff members and rooms for group, individual and play therapy.

“This provides them [the children] with better services,” Children’s Home President the Rev. Alexander Carmichel IV said. “And it provides the expertise each child needs for individual or family counseling.”

Carmichel says the new counseling center also allows the staff “to do more innovative things.” There are cameras in several rooms that allow the counselors to video tape family counseling sessions. The staff edit the videos and give them to parents to help reinforce positive behavior. “This will help retrain families and rebuild them at the same time,” Carmichel said.

The Waller-Jeter residential cottage will house up to 10 children, increasing the home’s capacity to 100, according to the Rev. Stephen Hartsfield, director of Development and Public Relations.

Hardin Hall, which has undergone several renovations in its 80-year history, is now serving as the welcome center and home for the administrative and development offices.

Florida Bishop Cornelius L. Henderson said most conferences would be happy to dedicate one building, but the dedication of three buildings at the Florida United Methodist Children’s Home was a “great blessing from God.”

Carmichel now says he’s looking to the future. There are plans to build two group homes for older children in transition from the campus cottages into vocations or college and a television studio that will allow the home to produce its own movies, training videos and a children’s news program.