Foster home neighbor seeks compromise

Rick Jones
The Port Arthur News

April 17, 2008 12:34 pm

— I would like to thank Ms. Sherry Koonce for the objective reporting she did regarding the foster home in Beauxart Gardens. She represented a fair assessment of the issues that we as residents feel are salient to the placement of the foster group home.
I have been a child care administrator for nearly 20 years and I can understand the desire of Fellowship Baptist to develop some type of program that meets the needs of disadvantaged and neglected youth. The membership of the church should be commended for this desire. These children are some of the least likely to succeed in our society and are deserving of an opportunity to develop to their fullest potential.
To say that we are fighting against helping children is absolutely false. I do not speak for all of the residents in our small community, but I feel that if the church leadership had done a better job of presenting their ideas to those of us living on North Garden Drive, much of the rancor that has arisen would have been quelled. I feel, based my years of experience in the field that placement of this facility in our community is ill advised. Their kids, and our kids deserve better. I hope we can reach a comprise that will be beneficial to our youth.
Rick Jones
Beaumont