A building project nearing completion on the Methodist Children’s Home campus in Waco will provide opportunities for educational and job-skills training for MCH residents and Day Students attending the University of Texas – University Charter School.
With the launch of a new childcare program at the MCH Boys Ranch, MCH leadership saw the value in creating vocational opportunities on the Waco campus for residents. The Embry Vocational Building, located across from the Greene-Willis Gym and Heritage Park, is a state-of-the-art facility where youth will learn skills such as welding and woodwork, among others.
The building was made possible through the generosity of benefactors desiring to make a difference in the lives of youth through education.
Elaine Embry-Mullins provided a $1 million gift for the project, something she said has been on her heart for several years. Embry-Mullins, a member of First Methodist Church in Waco, chose to name the building collectively in honor of her family, which has a long connection to MCH.
Embry-Mullins’ parents, Theo and Helen Embry, were supporters of MCH and had a particular affinity with the vocational and ag-science programs. A prolific wood and metal hobbyist, Theo Embry, with the help of Elaine, donated the contents of his personal workshops to the MCH Boys Ranch in 2017 when he and Helen moved into an assisted living facility.
Embry’s collection included woodworking tools, a welding rig, impact wrenches, lifts, pulleys, trays of tools, and machines to bend and cut metal.
“Before he passed, my dad gave instructions about our inheritance, that we should do something for ourselves, but also something for others,” Embry-Mullins said. “God laid it on my heart after Dad passed to provide for a new vocational building at Methodist Children’s Home.”
Embry-Mullins originally envisioned the building at the Boys Ranch, but “after hearing about the new program at the Ranch I fully supported building a new vocational building on the Waco campus.”
Theo Embry preached self-sufficiency through education and hard work, Embry-Mullins said, adding her father “always believed if you had vocational skills, you could do anything you wanted to do. I believe the same thing from my 20-plus years in education.”
“My dream is for young people to learn skills in this new building that will lead to certifications in careers like welding, electrical, plumbing, and construction,” she added. “These types of skills will open doors to other things, like management or business ownership.”
Trey Oakley, MCH president and CEO, said the ministry has been blessed by the generational generosity of the Embry family.
“Theo Embry had a strong work ethic and he passed that on to his kids,” Oakley said. “He also had a love for Methodist Children’s Home and he passed that on to his kids, as well. It is such a testimony his family has chosen to carry on Theo’s legacy.
“From our early conversations, Elaine talked about this building as being something her dad would have wanted and how she was going to make it happen,” Oakley added. “Youth at MCH are going to be blessed because of her commitment.”
A gift of $250,000 from Bill and Carol Kelley, made in honor of their daughters, Harriett and Nancy, supplemented the construction of the vocational building. The Kelleys graduated from Baylor University and raised their daughters in Waco, attending Trinity United Methodist Church and First Methodist Church of Waco. The Kelleys moved to Dallas in 1982 and are active members of Highland Park United Methodist Church.
The Kelleys were attracted to the vocational building project because of the educational support it will provide youth, said Lyle Mason, MCH vice president for advancement.
“It is our joy to present giving opportunities and assist donors in carrying out their charitable desires as God directs,” Mason said. “That is how Elaine Embry-Mullins was led and certainly how Bill and Carol Kelley have responded, having such a passion for equipping young people in their educational pursuits.”
“For years, Carol and I have made annual gifts to Baylor and Methodist Children’s Home and decided to make more significant gifts this year,” Bill Kelley said. “Once Lyle Mason described the vocational skills the residents would learn in this new building and how it would help their future success, I knew this is where we wanted our gift to go.”
Oakley said through the generosity of the Embry-Mullins and Kelley families, youth will have yet another way to grow and flourish at MCH.
“We are honored that benefactors like the Embrys and the Kelleys would look at the countless giving opportunities, but come to Methodist Children’s Home and say ‘I want you to be a part of my legacy,’” Oakley said. “It is a holy privilege that we do not take lightly.”
Leave a Reply