Lansing - Despite rain and cold, the gymnasium of the new St. Vincent Home for Children was packed with people ready to dedicate the new building for abused and neglected children.
Bishop Carl F. Mengeling was on hand, along with the children who moved into their new home on Friday to dedicate and bless the 24,000 square foot facility, next to the old center at 2800 West Willow. The building will house 300 children yearly, between the ages of five and 17 in a transitional setting, before they are placed in a foster family or returned to their families.
According to Dawn Kroeger, director of marketing and events for Catholic Social Services of Lansing/St. Vincent Home, the old facility was out-of-date and ill-equipped for the children living in it.
"The old home was 52 years old and the needs of the children have changed," Kroeger said. "The hallways in the old facility were dark and had a very institutional feeling."
Stephanie Buchalski, project manager for Granger Construction Company agrees the new $4.3 million home, which includes classrooms, bedrooms and a medical clinic, is more kid friendly.
"It's a beautiful facility for the children," Buchalski said. "It's more accessible and really meets the needs of the children and gives them more of a sense of community."
Buchalski also said the new facility, which has 40 beds, allows the children, who spend an average of 90 days in the home, more space and gives them the chance to eat meals with each other in a more community-oriented center.
"It has a real homey feeling," said Rorie Dodge said, a supervisor for the home. "They get their own rooms and they can eat in here rather than cafeterias. Things are more neat and clean."
A young female resident of the center said she liked having her own room and her new bed.
"I like that it smells better and the bed's not as springy," she said.
Those who toured the home said the new building was a long time coming.
"I think it's quite beautiful," said Ruth Zerby, an adoption caseworker for St. Vincent, said. "I watched the construction from the beginning and it's much nicer than I ever hoped."
?Sherri Solomon-Jozwiak,chief executive officer and president of Catholic Social Services/St. Vincent, said the new building has been a goal for her since she assumed her two current positions.
"I took a tour of the former building and I was surprised at the lack of light and good facilities; it wasn't very homelike," Solomon-Jozwiak said. "It didn't have any light, and it was small and cramped. The new building gives the children more safety and security."
The Children's home is one of 15 programs run by Catholic Social Services that, according to Mengeling, is the largest in Michigan, and helps people based on their problems and not religion.
"We serve the social needs of people," Mengeling said. "Our saying is need, not creed."
