Our resident population is now at 46 children, and we have just accepted two more girls.

We have received 41 children this year – more placements in 2008 than during any previous year in our history. Two more are already scheduled to come within the next seven days and one more has been accepted but not yet scheduled for arrival.

Since January 1, the Mansion has been "home" to 75 children - 41 new placements, 19 discharges, and 15 are still here.

We are desperately in need of house parents and are rapidly running out of beds. In several of the resident halls, we are actually filled to more than "maximum" capacity.

So, one may ask, "Why accept these children, if you don't have enough staff or enough room?" 

These children have come from some of the worst cases of neglect that we have ever seen – absolutely filthy, smelling horrible, medically fragile and half-starved, lice infested, rotten teeth, and three or four years behind in school – which begs the question, "To which one do you say 'No, you can't come.'?"  

Chad Parker, our Associate Director of TCM Residential Services and Licensed Social Worker, texted the following synopsis of today’s activities to me this evening: 

"We had two scheduled placements for Friday that were on-campus at 7:30 this morning. Before we could get to them, another lady walked in requesting a meeting regarding an urgent situation with her daughter.  We received one email and two phone calls, all needing placements for their children or the children for which they were guardians - all of this while working to make room for everyone else.”

It's exciting and, yes, it's stressful, but to know that we are able to take these children and care for them, and love them . . . what a blessing!