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Foster Facility Groundbreaking Set

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By YVETTE C. HAMMETT

The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 31, 2008

BRANDON - In about nine months, sibling groups whisked from their homes amid allegations of abuse or neglect will have a safe place to live - together - until they are placed in an appropriate foster home.

Kids Charity of Tampa Bay will break ground June 13 on A Kid's Place, a 60-bed emergency assessment center for children rescued from troubled homes. The 5-acre complex will be built at 1715 Lithia-Pinecrest Road at Henchee Lane.

"This is all about not having to spread siblings out all over the county," said DeDe Grendal, Kids Charity's executive director. "It will be one comprehensive place where they can go and stay for up to 30 days. I believe it will be the first in the county."

"We are thrilled to be taking the first step toward our goal to provide a safe haven for local children who are removed from dangerous situations," said Dottie Berger MacKinnon, chairwoman of the Kids Charity board of directors and founder of the Joshua House in Tampa. Joshua House is an emergency, long-term foster care facility.

"These children are frightened and often abused, neglected or abandoned," Berger MacKinnon said. "This facility is specially designed to meet their needs and help ease their transition to a new home environment."

Lt. Donna Lusczynski of the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Child Protective Investigations Division said the new center should go a long way toward offering immediate shelter and stability.

"Keeping sibling groups together is a very big deal," Lusczynski said. "The children are always more comfortable when they have a sister or brother with them."

The $5 million complex will include five houses that can be used for children entering the foster care system for the first time or those who live with foster families who need time for respite, Grendal said. It also will house children who must leave foster homes because the relationships break down.

Berger MacKinnon said construction will begin immediately after groundbreaking and should take about nine months. The complex will initially have two houses. Others will be built as funding comes through.

"We've gotten a lot donated, including the architect's services, paint and painters, a generator, electrical labor and plumbing donations," Berger MacKinnon said. Individual donations also have helped, including a $250,000 contribution from Berger MacKinnon and her husband, Sandy MacKinnon.

Other major contributors include Joe Sullivan of Sullivan Benefits in Brandon and the Lazy Days RV Center in Seffner, each of which gave $400,000. Don and Erika Wallace of Tampa and Gene McNichols of Tampa contributed $250,000 each, Creative Recycling, Walter Industries and Olin Mott Tire Co. each donated $100,000.

Infants, children and teens from birth to age 18 will be eligible to stay at A Kid's Place.

Hillsborough Kids Inc., which contracts with the state to oversee foster care, will pay the center a set amount for each child it takes in. But, it won't cover all expenses, Grendal said.

The center will seek private donations, grants and contributions from foundations and churches, she said.

Grendal emphasized that the program could change from year to year to meet children's needs, especially to keep siblings together.

For information, go to www.kidscharitytb.com.

Reporter Yvette C. Hammett can be reached at (813) 657-4532 or yhammett@tampatrib.com.

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