Thirty-four “special” voices scream “mom” at this house. However, if “mom” can’t handle ten crises at once, the children at the Galilean Home in Casey County are there for each other.
Jim and Sandy Tucker built the home for mentally and physically handicapped children in 1979. Today children from the ages of 2 to 98 begin their day at 6 a.m. Before eating breakfast, Jerry Tucker says a prayer while he and the children hold hands at the table.
After breakfast, constant cleaning, playing and teaching fill the day. Love through hugging and helping each other makes the family a working unit. Among all the cleaning and organizing of 34 children, there are a lot of hugs exchanged.
Chores rotate weekly for the children who are able to help. A child may be dressing a physically disabled child one week and vacuuming the house the next.
All the children are from different backgrounds with many different handicaps. Some are orphans, and others, like mildly retarded Donna McCray, come to the home and stay to work as employees.
“They (the children) call me when something happens, like if they spit up or need help,” McCray said.
Sandy Tucker, who is the official “mom” of the Galilean Home, couldn’t tell you how many of the children in her home are legally hers.
“They are all my children, whether adopted or not,” she said.
The result of all these children living together can be seen on their faces.
Ten-year-old Sunshine Tucker, whom the Tucker’s adopted at the age of six months, said, “I like it here. There are so many things to do and so many people to talk with. I might stay here forever.”
