By Samantha Sinclair
CNI News Service
The Ark Family Preservation Center in Franklin Springs will soon be able to help more families and is inviting the community to its dedication and ribbon cutting ceremony Sunday at 2 p.m.
“We are so blessed to have so many leaders and citizens in the 10 counties we serve who are just as interested as we are to save families, and this is a great opportunity for all of us to come together to dedicate and celebrate what the mission of the Ark is striving to accomplish,” spokesperson Paula Dixon said.
The Ark – a nonprofit that serves families in Franklin County and nine others including Habersham – supports families going through tough times by teaching them to skills to repair their relationships.
The program’s new 4,050 square feet facility was built on five acres just beside Wellsprings Psychological Resources at 97 Springs Station Drive in Franklin Springs, and will give The Ark more space to serve families.
Sunday’s event will include speeches, including from founder Dr. Beverly Oxley, singing led by board member Ann Bowman, prayers and refreshments.
Dixon said the event will allow anyone not familiar with The Ark to get an idea of how they help families. After the ceremony, guests may tour the facility from the light-filled entry to the counseling rooms.
Supervised visitations are a large part of The Ark’s program, and three rooms in the new facility are dedicated for visitations. There are four counseling rooms – one of which will double as a playroom with a huge Noah’s Ark mural – and a chapel or prayer space.
The center will offer parent coaching, anger management when needed, and family therapy. There is already a playground – The Ark Park – on the property for therapeutic outdoor play, and a garden – The Clinkenbeard Healing Gardens – is also planned for the property.
The Ark was founded in 2014.
Donations may be made online at thearkfamily.org.