Keller-based Christ’s Haven for Children, a children’s home for abused, neglected and abandoned children, has debuted a brand new home for its campus. The land and construction costs for the $300,000 home were donated by Hanover Property Company and local builders First Texas Homes, History Maker Homes, Bloomfield Homes and Gehan Homes.
"Christ's Haven has been rescuing at-risk, neglected and displaced children for over 60 years,” said Christ’s Haven Executive Director, Dwight Robarts. “The gift of this house not only provides permanent on-campus living quarters for the Director of Children's Service as required by our license, but allows us to renovate another house so that we might better serve our kids and take care of more children in the future."
The 2,400 square-foot home has four bedrooms and three baths. Derek Kester, Director of Children’s Services and his wife, Liz will be living in the home.
“This blessing of a new home is indescribable and honestly, quite surreal,” said Ms. Kester. “Christ's Haven isn't just a job for us. This is our home. We both feel very strongly that God calls us to be compassionate, loving, and protective of children. The most unexpected aspect of this process is how everyone has treated our ministry throughout our time together. Valuing the kids at every step, valuing our mission, valuing Derek and me. This was an investment of so many talents, so much time, and so much generosity. We feel very undeserving but very grateful.”
Dick LeBlanc, President of Hanover Property Company said, ”Christ’s Haven has worked with over 5,000 kids in at-risk households. They are investing time and energy into the lives of these vulnerable children and we are delighted to participate and walk alongside them in this way. There is prosperity in the market and this is the way we as developers and builders can give back.”
The builder group was led by Keith Hardesty, Division President at First Texas Homes.
“We have gotten so busy in our day-to-day lives that we sometimes become oblivious to the issues that are affecting people, especially children, right in our back yard,” said Hardesty. “This was our chance to pay it forward and do some good for others that have been dealt unfavorable situations. There was an incredible outpouring of support from our contractors and vendors. Many gave discounts and several donated all of their product or services.”
Nelson Mitchell, CEO of HISTORYMAKER Homes has a personal connection with Christ’s Haven. His great-grandfather was on the board at Christ’s Haven in the 1960s and helped build several homes in the ministry’s early years when they were first getting started.
“It feels incredibly gratifying for me personally to be able to help Christ’s Haven once again after all these years,” said Mitchell. “This ministry has a history with our family and our company, so we are so excited to see the home complete. It was an easy decision for us because we have been active in the Keller community as a new homebuilder for decades. We have built thousands of homes in this area and we love to give back to an organization that is helping children and families.”
John Winniford, CEO of Gehan Homes said, “Part of Gehan Homes’ culture is to support causes and charities in the communities in which we build. Being involved in the Christ’s Haven project was another way for us to give back to the neighborhoods in which we live and work. We are honored to come together with the developers, builders, and trade partners to complete this house and know Christ's Haven will make it a home.
Bloomfield Homes president Don Dykstra said his company is committed to giving back to the communities in which they build homes. “This was a good fit for us because the Steadman Farms neighborhood was originally part of Christ's Haven,” said Dykstra. “This type of project is at the intersection of our Christian faith, day-to-day business, and commitment to be involved in our local community.”
Contractors and vendors who donated their services to the project include Electrolux Appliances, L&S Mechanical, Johnson Supply/ Armstrong Air, Delta Faucets, Allied Stone, Suncoast, Shaw Flooring, First Floors, Texas Plywood and Home Pro.
The Christ's Haven for Children campus is located on 58 beautiful acres in Keller, TX, north of Fort Worth. Christ's Haven currently has six child-care homes; a Children’s Enrichment Center; a Life Path house, which provides transitional care for young adults who have graduated from high school; a Teen Mom house; a chapel; pavilion; workshop; barn; swimming pool; sport courts; and multiple playgrounds on its campus. Each of the child-care homes accommodates up to eight children with a set of live-in parents.
The organization cares for 40 children on campus. The children receive medical and dental care, counseling and tutoring as needed in a warm and loving home under the care and guidance of full-time house parents with the goal of reunifying them with their families. More information can be found at: christhaven.publishpath.com.
Founded in 1984, Hanover Property Company (hanoverproperty.com) is a Dallas-based real estate development firm which focuses on master planned residential communities, commercial/retail and multifamily developments throughout DFW.
First Texas Homes (firsttexashomes.com) has been building on the cornerstones of exceptional quality, superior design, absolute value, and unsurpassed customer service for over a quarter-century. As a recognized leader in the industry, First Texas Homes has established a proven track record of putting the needs of customers first and takes great pride in ensuring total customer satisfaction by involving buyers in every step of the building process.
Launched in 1949 and a fourth-generation family-owned business, HISTORYMAKER Homes is one of the largest builders in Dallas-Fort Worth. The company has built its success on its ability to meet the changing needs of homebuyers. Along with sister companies Rendition Homes and Rendition LUXURY Homes, the company is well-positioned to serve entry-level, move-up and luxury buyers. Learn more at HISTORYMAKER.com, RenditionHomes.com and RenditionLUXURYHomes.com.
Bloomfield Homes (bloomfieldhomes.com) is the largest new homebuilder focused exclusively on the DFW area. Bloomfield provides custom builder designs and quality with production builder efficiencies and value in 50 neighborhoods throughout DFW priced from the $190s to $700s.
Gehan Homes, headquartered in Dallas, Texas, has been building beautiful new homes at an exceptional value for over 25 years. Known for their award-winning designs, quality craftsmanship, smarter floor plans and competitive pricing, Gehan Homes is the 12th largest private homebuilder and the 30th largest homebuilder in the US. Gehan Homes has offices in Dallas, Houston, Austin, San Antonio, Texas and Scottsdale, Arizona. For more information, visit www.gehanhomes.com