All of our residents have so many amazing qualities and interesting characteristics. At Protected Harbor, we love how our residents to get to know each other as family. As supporters of Protected Harbor, you are all part of the family God has created as well. Therefore, each month we will be highlighting one of our Protected Harbor residents and sharing interesting facts about each of them.

This month we are highlighting Kimber. When asked where she was born she replied, “Well technically I wasn’t born in the United States. I was born in South Korea. I moved here when I was two years old.  Kimber was adopted when she was two by a couple that raised her to be the strong independent woman that she is today. Kimber said, “Without my parents, I would not be the woman that I am today.”

Here are some interesting facts about Kimber’s home country:

• Population: 51 million
• Capital: Seoul with 10 million inhabitants
• More than 95% of the population can read and write.
• More restaurants, including McDonald’s, will deliver food directly to your home
• In South Korea, babies are considered one-year-old at birth
• South Korea’s national dish is Kimchi (which happens to be Kimber’s favorite food!)

Because Kimber moved to the United States when she was so young, she does not have a recollection as to what South Korea was like. Although Kimber does not necessarily remember the details of her life there, she is very proud of her Korean heritage. She even has a large Korean flag hanging in her bedroom. She also recently took a DNA test to learn more about her heritage and the results showed that she was 97% Korean/Chinese and 3% Japanese.

Please join us in praying for Kimber’s continued success with Protected Harbor.

Which resident will we learn more about next month? Stay tuned!

Protected Harbor would like to announce the re-launch of the “Prayer Alliance Newsletter.” As an organization, we want to ensure that God, residents, supporters, and staff all remain connected. The “Prayer Alliance Newsletter” allows for every individual involved with Protected Harbor to remain updated with Prayer Requests and news related to the progress of our mission from God. Almost twenty years after conceptualizing the mission of Protected Harbor, by the grace of God, we have formed a strong group of supporters.

We pray that we remain close to one another and God, and adhere to the mission we have all been called to serve.  The re-launch of the “Prayer Alliance Newsletter” will remind our supporters how Protected Harbor started and the progress that we have made thus far. From an idea to reality, Protected Harbor is now the home to eleven amazing individuals who praise God every day. The purpose of Protected Harbor is to provide a safe haven for God’s special people. We ensure that every resident God entrusts us with is nurtured by loving house parents and each other, and is able to reach their full potential.

The population of adults living with developmental disabilities in the state of Florida exceeds 300,000. 76% of these individuals live with a family caregiver. Of these, about a third are living with a family caregiver over the age of 60 years old. Thus, over 78,000 people with developmental disabilities will soon need a home and someone to care for them.  Many of the parents of children with developmental disabilities live with the fear of what may happen to their children after they pass on.

Protected Harbor’s mission is to provide a solution for this growing need. These parents should not have to worry if their children will be cared for after they pass on.  The goal of the organization is to glorify God by raising funds that will pay for the construction, operation, and on-going maintenance of group homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. We believe that each resident has been entrusted to our care by God. We believe that this work is ministry that we have been called upon to do.

We provide nurturing care in loving Christian homes so that the residents may reach their full potential in life. Our goal is to encourage personal growth, both spiritually and emotionally. We accomplish this by providing full-time residential care, independent living skills instruction, vocational opportunities, ongoing education, and a variety of social activities.

After many years of fundraising by the Board of Directors, our first home was built in 2010. It is now home to six amazing women; Kim, Kimber, Tiffany, Ashley, Janie, and Cleo. The Protected Harbor house is now what these women refer to as “home”, and they consider each other family.

In November 2017, Protected Harbor opened the doors to its second home. The second house is where Dennis, Jake, Crystal, Matthew, and Deb live. The new home is proving to have the same result as the first, with the residents becoming family very quickly.

With your generous support we will be able to open more of these homes.  Our Prayer Partners and the Will of God can make it possible for every one of God’s special people to live with “family” in a warm safe home, as do our current residents at Protected Harbor.

We pray that we remain close to one another and to God, and that we continue to fulfill the mission we have all been called to serve. From all of us at Protected Harbor, we THANK YOU for being a Prayer Partner!