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 home > About Us > News Story: Tom Heaton
Accountability, teamwork, trust among many
lessons Children’s Homes taught Tom Heaton
From Tom Heaton, former resident of
Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries:
I learned many valuable lessons in the two years I lived at Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes, and these lessons have had immediate importance in my adulthood:
- Be personally accountable. Every resident in the cottage has specific chores to do on a regular basis. When I lived at the Children's Homes, it was easy to tell who had not done his/her work but sometimes not so easy for someone to say, "I’m sorry. I didn’t do what I was supposed to do."
- Know the value of teamwork. Sometimes the whole concept of being on a team gets overdone. Yet, the houseparents and children who reside in a Children’s Homes cottage really are a team. They share their ups, downs, troubles and happiness with each other. They pull together when someone is hurting and help each other as needed.
- You’ve got to trust somebody. Many of the residents of the Children’s Homes have deep, emotional wounds barely under the surface. If you’ve ever been hurt by someone you love, you know how hard it is to trust someone else with your secrets or be willing to accept help. My social worker, Mr. Hornsby, was kind, considerate and patient in dealing with me. He earned my trust and he treated that trust with respect. Mr. Hornsby and many of the other Children’s Homes staff helped me understand that it wasn’t me against the world. I had friends on my side. All I had to do was believe it – and believing
 it was often the most difficult part.
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Someone cares about you.
This was an incredibly important thing to learn during my time at the former Troy Campus of the Children's Homes. From staff to houseparents, cottage-mates, new-found friends at school, and the folks at First Baptist Church of Troy, Alabama, many people seemed to actually care about me. Love is a powerful thing, and being loved is always a powerfully
good thing.
Photo to right: Tom Heaton and his wife Joy live in Waverly, Virginia.
He is a former trustee with Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina.
- The future is what you make it. If you had asked me when I first came to Troy in 1974 if I thought I would (a) attend a wonderful college and get a music degree, (b) meet and marry a beautiful girl, (c) work in classical radio, (d) travel across the United States and to Europe, and (e) meet a delightful assortment of people in all walks of life, I would not have believed you. The good people at Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes helped me to believe in myself and see that my past didn’t also have to be my future.
One of the characters in the movie "Vanilla Sky" has a line which can be inspirational if you allow: "Every moment is a chance to turn it all around." Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes gave me that chance and I will always
be grateful.
Yours and your church’s support of the Annual Children’s Homes Offering make it possible for Alabama Baptist Children’s Homes & Family Ministries to give children, adults and families second chances in life. Plan for one or more Annual Offering collections in your church services and other gatherings. For free resources to help with your promotions, phone 1 (888) 720-8805.
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