November•2012 - Amber Glades

Certified years in business No complaints unresolved Years in Monthly Media
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Safety Harbor Boys Home
Bernie Pehl
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HOW IT BEGAN AND OUR INVOLVEMENT WITH THEM.
(IT’S BEEN MORE THAN FOURTEEN YEARS
NOW)
Some years ago a local couple wanted to be missionaries.
They were waiting for their church to assign them somewhere
overseas.Alocal agency asked them to temporarily
provide a foster home for a coup of abused children who
had to be taken from their parents.
Once they became involved they realized that there
was a great need here and they decided to devote themselves
to providing a loving environment for children who were abandoned or for some
reason had to be removed by the state. These kids became their mission.
Over the years the Safety Harbor Boys Home focused on boys who had special
problems that made it difficult to place them with regular families. The home grew to
accommodate twenty to twenty-five boys. A large ranch house was doubled in size by a
local church and two mobiles were added for older boys who required less care.
At Christmas time our Social Committee would donate money to our fire department
for all the attention they gave us during the year. One year we were told that such gifts
could no longer be accepted and the chief suggested some local causes that the firemen
support for the holidays. We picked three. Held a dinner and took up a collection. We
raised over $1,000 and gave it to the firemen to help in their efforts.
The Safety Harbor Boys Home was one of the three. The other two were individuals
whose needs were temporary. We had such positive feedback from the firemen about
the joy the boys had with the Christmas presents that were purchased with our donations
that we started to focus on the boys’ home every Christmas since then.
Believe me, those boys really love what we are able to do for them. Some like to
think of us as their grandparents. I know that the gifts they receive, thanks to you, are the
first gifts some have ever received. Some are given a small amount and turned loose in a
store to buy whatever they want with the ten or twenty dollars they have. I am told that
some will spend their money on other boys. To see these kids is to see the face of God.
I again ask you to help us by supporting the collection this year. You can make your
check payable to the Amber Glades Boys’ Fund. The check can be given to me or any
member of our Board of Directors. (Names and lot numbers are in the phone book.) We
need to complete our collection by December 2. Call me if you have any questions.
Thank you ever so much.
AMBER GLADES ADVOCATE NOVEMBER, 2012 N 13