Wednesday, Sept. 12, 2018, marked a first for Alva and Oklahoma. The Vera Mae Home was officially opened. The Vera Mae Home is the first in a series of homes built for sibling groups in foster care to be placed with foster parents in a newly built home. Oklahoma Circle of Care Legacy will be heading up the remaining foster homes to be built as well. They will be in Enid, Woodward, Elk City, Shawnee and Coweta.

At the Ceremony

There were numerous people to thank who helped with completion of the Vera Mae Home. Many Alvans stepped up to donate time, furniture and money to see this project through. Carol Cook Moore, pastor of First United Methodist Church (FUMC), spoke and introduced members of the United Methodist Foundation as well as those from Circle of Care Legacy. Special thanks were offered to: Alva FUMC Discovery class, Choir Loft class, Young Adult class, We Are One Class, COBRA class, Fidelis class, Chancel and Bell choirs, United Methodist Women; United Methodist Men; Cheyenne Valley UMC; Sights and Sounds/Radio Shack; G&G Furnishings; Conner Martin Landscaping; Tom Crenshaw, Bob Baker, Bill and Billie Buckles, Hannah Sutter – Interior Designer, Heath Isenbard – Contractor, and numerous other individuals who have helped prepare for the opening of the Vera Mae Home.

Moore concluded with, "Most of all, we give glory to God for this ministry with foster children and their foster parents."

Inside the Home

The Vera Mae Home, built on land donated by the Buckles' family, is 2,700 square feet with four bedrooms and four bathrooms – and gorgeous. Every room is special and inviting, which is exactly what a foster child should feel in a home. The home can hold six foster children and two foster parents. There is a play area for younger children, a desk for students, a long dining table and chairs at the bar, ample room to do mounds of laundry, and bathrooms attached to each room. Even more, there is huge back yard, a garage and a storm shelter.

A Chance to Thrive

Walking into the Vera Mae home is like being on an episode of Fixer Upper! These kids have room to grow, run, and be comfortable in their own space. Children should not have to worry about where they sleep, eat and play. The foster parents, who are almost done with their final approval, have already opened their hearts to foster children, and will likely be able to welcome more with this home. Many prayers and thanksgiving are coveted for this family and their foster children.

Bishop Jimmy Nunn, who was adopted as a child, said he can relate to the foster children who will live in the Vera Mae residence. If he hadn't been adopted, "what would have become of me otherwise?" he wondered.

He said the youngsters who live in the new home will be able to say, "This is the place where we're loved and we're cared for."

"Look what God has done, working through us," Nunn said. "Many generations of people will be affected for the good. We're trying to hold together those family units."