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A former worship center in Washington will once again be a source of hope and encouragement in the community. Starting this week, it will be transformed into The Kelly Children’s Home, a sanctuary for displaced youth in the area. 

On Tuesday morning, a groundbreaking ceremony was held at The Kelly Children’s Home to celebrate the start of construction. Founders, Alexis and Josh Kelly, anticipate the renovation will be finished by the end of this year. 

“Today is a momentous occasion, a celebration of hope, perseverance and power of our community,” Alexis said at the groundbreaking. 

The 10,000 sq. ft. building will provide safe housing and educational programs for displaced teens aged 16-19 in Eastern North Carolina. It will offer 13 bedrooms, a large common space, a family style dining area, a classroom, a computer lab, a visitation center and offices. 

Alexis and Josh Kelly have spent years praying and planning for an opportunity to serve teens in eastern Carolina since 2016 when they adopted a foster child in their care. 

Through that experience they saw a “profound need” for a children’s group home in eastern North Carolina, Alexis said. “We found that there were hundreds of kids right here in eastern North Carolina yearning for loving homes and forever families. Far outnumbering the number of families or group homes available to embrace them.” 

When Alexis recently reviewed data from the Beaufort County Department of Social Services, she read that at least 130 children in the county need foster parents. 

Alexis said The Kelly Children’s Home is frequently contacted by communities, even ones outside Beaufort County, looking to place children in a group home. 

“The majority of youth that come into our care will be homeless youth or those that are aging out of foster care. There are different divisions or private agencies that will help place them,” she explained. 

In December of 2016, Alexis and Josh founded The Kelly Children’s Home, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting youth and families in need. 

Almost four years later, they purchased the former Word of Life Worship Center at 300 E. 10th Street for $130,000, debt free thanks to generous donations from the community. 

Earlier this year, with support from the City of Washington, The Kelly Children’s Home obtained a $750,000 Community Development Block Grant for Neighborhood Revitalization from the North Carolina Department of Commerce to renovate the building. The COVID-19 pandemic impeded the Kellys from renovating the space sooner. 

“There are no words,” Alexis said in reflecting on the ability to host a groundbreaking ceremony and what it means for the future of The Kelly Children’s Home. “It has been an incredible journey to get to this point. Just the sheer amount of support we have from the community and the city to help bring this vision to life. There are no words for the amount of impact it’s going to have for generations to come.”