Bethel Bible Village Provides Home for Kids When Parents Can't

For more than 50 years a local organization has provided a family structure for kids whose parents couldn't.

Bethel Bible Village has served more than 1500 children here in the Tennessee Valley.

If parents are incarcerated, or on drugs, or for whatever reason can't take care of their kids, Bethel Bible Village can.

Bethel Bible Village Executive Director Myron Wilkins says, "For whatever reason these children are left without the supervision, the support and care they need."

Nineteen year old Fred McDonald was one of those kids.

He spent four years at Bethel Bible Village.

McDonald says he was angry when he arrived...having been in and out of foster care for years, but Bethel made a difference in his life.

McDonald says, "Just in general I think, I'm really over all a better person because of Bethel, so..."

That's what Bethel Bible Village is all about, Wilkins says, to help kids...

When parents can't take care of their children they sign over guardianship, not custody, and Bethel provides a family.

Wilkins says, "Often times, there's no other option. There's no extended family or other resource. Bethel Bible Village, we want to be that resource."

The non-profit, Christ centered organization has four cottages for children ages 5-18.

There's even a home for teenage mothers and their babies.

House parents live in each cottage, and give kids as typical an upbringing as possible.

Floyd & Deborah Richardson have been house parents for more than 20 years, "We know that we can make an impact on some kids' lives, whether its one or several and that keeps us going on because we enjoy it."

They've helped to raise more than 140 kids...and they still have a close relationship with this one.

Floyd Richardson laughes and point toward Fred McDonald saying, "When times get tough you can come back here, we'll kick you in the rump and you can keep going."

McDonald just finished his first year at Chattanooga State.

He says its something he never would have expected, "To actually be an inspiration to my younger brothers...like I was the first one to go to college, so that's...yeah, that's pretty good."

Wilkins says Bethel Bible Village is always short on funds...but shorter on good people to be part of the family.

He says Bethel needs the community to be its eyes and ears...if you know a family in crisis, he says, give them a call.