Two foster homes merge

The Carpenter's Way Ranch and Our House, two nonprofit foster homes in this area, announced their merger Thursday.

The Methodist Home for Children and Youth oversees Our House, which opened in Columbus in 2002. It will now take on The Carpenter's Way, founded in 1992 by Glenn Davis, a Columbus councilor and former professional baseball player with the Houston Astros and Baltimore Orioles. Our House is located on a campus off Veterans Parkway. The Carpenter's Way Ranch contains three homes for residents in Cataula, Ga., and also recently added a house for girls, called Arabella, in another part of Harris County.

The Carpenter's Way Ranch had been looking for the past few years for a larger nonprofit to take them in, according to Carpenter's Way board president David Johnson.

"We've been a very small, unique and Columbus-centered organization," Johnson said. "We've done well here but as the years have gone by, it's harder for a smaller organization like us to make it."

Joining forces

Serious discussions began about a year ago between The Methodist Home for Children and Youth and The Carpenter's Way Ranch, Johnson said.

Davis and then-board chair Mike Stone of The Carpenter's Way approached Becky Rumer of Our House about the possibility of joining forces. Rumer helped start Our House.

"There was never a point where it didn't feel right," Johnson said of talks. "In simplest terms, they offered us long-term stability and care for our children." Johnson recently replaced Stone as board chairman. Mike Duggar, the current director of Our House, will oversee all three sites. Arabella, Our House and The Carpenter's Way will remain in their respective locations.

Operated by the Methodist Church since 1872, The Methodist Home for Children and Youth operates six sites around the South Georgia United Methodist Conference.

Our House typically takes state foster children who are in emergency placement situations, such as those suffering abuse and neglect. The children and teens at The Carpenter's way and Arabella come from the Department of Family and Children Services. Comparatively, The Carpenter's Way and Arabella offer longer-term stays than Our House.

New board

"This merger will allow us to reach our full potential in a phenomenal effort to better serve the children of our community," Davis said in a statement.

The two current boards will meet as a combined board next week. Rumer said some people who have served long terms may opt off, and new people will be welcome. A new slate of officers will be elected. The newly created board will operate in an advisory capacity to the Methodist Home in Macon.

When The Carpenter's Way Ranch opened, Davis was quoted in The New York Times as saying: "I know God has given me talents and abilities that have allowed me to achieve a certain level of success in baseball, and for that I am truly thankful. Building the ranch lets me give back a small measure of the blessings that God has given me."

The two nonprofits are calling the merger a "match made in heaven," in part because they are faith-based.

"That can sound like a cliche but it's absolutely true in this case. It's like getting married to your dream date," Johnson said.