Home Sweet New Home

Heather and Rick Ingle have a passion for adopting children, especially children with special needs. Their family includes 14 children: Nicole (18), Addison (16), Shawn (13), Hayden (12), Grace (10), Keller (9), Michael (9), Isabel (8), Tyler (7), Anna (7), William (6), Jessie (4), Caleb (4) and Elijah (2). A family of that size requires a good amount of living space, something their home didn’t have. When we last visited Rick and Heather, they were living in a four-bedroom house that included only two full bathrooms. Then one day, a neighbor named Julie Kantor happened to meet the Ingles. After getting to know the family and seeing their home, she knew she wanted to help them out.

Julie started the Home Sweet New Home project for the Ingles. The original plan to simply add on to the home quickly became a complete remodel. Community members and local businesses from Cincinnati quickly volunteered to help. Neighbors held lemonade stands, brought lunch to work crews and even pitched in with the painting and decorating. Many businesses did their part by donating building supplies and the time of their employees.

After nearly 3 years, the Ingles are finally able to enjoy their newly finished home. The home has nearly doubled in size. The Ingle clan now has nine bedrooms, four and half baths and two laundry rooms. They even have a new therapy room for the children with special needs. But this home never would have happened without the help of their wonderful community. Now the Ingles new home will make raising and caring for their 14 children a much easier task.

Heather and Rick are making a difference in the lives of the children they’ve welcomed into their home. Julie and the community have made a difference in the lives of the Ingles. As you can see, it takes only one person to make a difference.