A Great Location - A Wonderful Home

Still in the planning stages, Joshua’s Place will be a home for developmentally disabled men over 18 years of age. It will be Christian in principle and practices, but nondiscriminatory in admissions. At Joshua’s Place, the men will be encouraged to live as independently as possible, they will be allowed to attend the place of worship of their choice, and most of them will probably work at nearby Peckham Inc., a wonderful corporation employing people with various barriers to community employment. We own nearly five acres at the corner of Waverly and Standard Drive in Delta Township, less than two miles from Peckham, on a city bus line, and near several churches. It is an ideal building site for such a project as Joshua’s Place.

These Women Really Do Care

In December 2011, a great organization in the Lansing area, 100 Women Who Care donated $10,900 to Joshua's Place. The members meet four times a year, each woman submits the name of a charity of her choice, and three names are chosen. These three women then give five minute presentations about the charities of their chice and a vote is taken. Each member then gives $100 to the one charity selected. We are so grateful to have been chosen for their December gift. If you are interested in joining this wonderful group of women, or learning more about them, contact Donna Oade at 332-4411. Contrary to their name, they already have over 100 members, and will welcome newcomers. Pictured are Donna Oade, Eleanor Charchut, and Rose Zack presenting the donation to Bob and Shirley Worgul of Joshua's Place

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The Building Site

"Our Mission - To Serve Men Like Jay
Written by Laura Clark-Roumpz
photo Laura &Jay atMackinaw Island

Over 20 years ago I had the privilege to meet Jay and he has been a friend of our family ever since. Jay was adopted as an infant and soon after was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. With deep parental love & encouragement, Jay grew into a fine Christian gentleman. But about 15 years ago, things started to change. Within a three year period, he found himself living alone after both of his parents died and his sister moved with her husband to California, leaving Jay devastated, confused, and alone in Petoskey with only a few persons doing what they could to help. There was no one to invite him for dinners or holiday celebrations, and he was very lonely. For his meals he walked across a busy road to get frozen dinners at a small grocery store, scared to death that he would be assaulted. But my husband and I came to the rescue and with permission moved Jay into a subsidized apartment closer to our home in the Lansing area so he could have an improved quality of life and be supported by loving people. Jay was able to take care of his own basic needs and live somewhat on his own for awhile. But then his health and ability to live independently diminished, and his physician suggested a group home where there would be 24/7 oversight and daily socialization.

We were very discouraged to find that there were not many, if any, homes in the Lansing area that we would feel comfortable letting Jay live in. But then we were told of plans to build Joshua's Place on a five acre plot and close to Peckham Inc., the largest employer in Michigan of disabled citizens. Joshua's Place would also be close to his home church, grocery stores,barber shops, and physician offfices. My husband and I are happy to be advocates for Jay. We consider it a joy to take care of God's people, people like Jay. And we hope you will find it a part of your mission to support Joshua's Place.:

Latest on HUD Application

A few months ago we learned that HUD had awarded the 2011 grant to two organizations in southeast Michigan. Although we are disappointed that this source of funding for Joshua’s Place did not materialize, we remain optimistic that we will find another source for our construction needs. We ask that you continue to pray that doors will open to us. Also, we are open to suggestions from our readers as to foundations or donors that might be interested in a project such as ours. We believe that since God has called us to this work, He will provide the means by which to complete it.

Volunteer Opportunities

1.Do you know a good artist? We are looking for someone to design a logo for Joshua’s Place, one that we can use on our stationery and newsletters.

2. Also,we need someone to design a brochure that we can print to inform people about Joshua’s Place. Call Shirley at 321-0438 to volunteer or suggest someone.

3.There are other needs for a good graphic artist such as designing a business card and working on the website.

Tree Stump & Front End Loader Volunteers Needed

We are proud of the work that has been done on the Joshua’s Place property to date. Were you to have seen it when first purchased, you would have seen huge piles of road fill containing concrete & blacktop, trash cottonwood, dead elm & ash trees, and a swale containing more dead trees and stagnant water. Now it has been leveled, grass is growing, stagnant water is gone, and it is a joy to show to prospective parents of future residents, and also potential donors. But we do need a volunteer who has a front end loader of some kind, perhaps a Bobcat, to move some remaining piles of dirt to fill in a low spot, and another volunteer who has the equipment to remove about fifty (50) stumps and put them in a container. There is a possibility that the equipment for the above will be loaned to us by an equipment dealer, so if you can operate machinery such as above, but do not have the equipment, please get in touch with Bob at 517-321-0438

A Great Need For Joshua’s Place

Some might question whether we really need another home for developmentally disabled men in the Lansing area. Although there are currently several group homes established by good secular organizations, there remains a need for a home that is uniquely Christian. There is a Christian home in Grand Ledge that serves only women, and a fine Christian home in Holt that serves both men and women, but there are potential male residents and their guardians who have expressed the desire for a home in the location where Joshua’s Place will be built. We already have a list of eight potential residents whose families are concerned about a home for their sons in the years to come. So, the answer is “Yes, Joshua’s Place as envisioned, is definitely needed!” So, check out our web site and put it in your bookmarks! We update it from time to time. www.joshuasplaceinc.com photo courtesy of Google images