Sydney Martinez, Campus Carrier news editor
Amber Grace Community (AGC), is a nonprofit organization built on 35 acres of Berry College’s Mountain Campus, is projected to open in 2026. Debbie and David Turner, parents of Amber Grace, founded the community to provide a space for 48 individuals with mild intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) to live to their fullest potential.
AGC started after Grace mentioned she felt she had few opportunities after college due to her Down Syndrome. Grace went to Shepherd’s College in Wisconsin, where the vision of appropriate independence inspired Debbie Turner to work on AGC. AGC’s mission is to provide a “Christ-led Abundant Life for every Neighbor, their Families, and the Communities” they will serve, as stated on their website.
According to AGC’s Executive Director Chris Baldwin, the Turners started with their vision of the community about 10 years ago and began working to make it a reality seven years later. They visited multiple neighborhood centers in the country, and ultimately, the couple decided to lease Berry property, where their daughter, Amy Turner Cathy, graduated 2005.
“So, they had an idea, they looked all over the county, at other facilities in terms of like, well, ‘how many buildings do we want, how much space, where do we want it to be?’ and [when] they were thinking about where [to establish AGC], the idea of Berry College came up,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin said the beautiful setting and perks of being on a college campus are what interested them in building on Berry property. He said an established police force would lower safety concerns for family members who have loved ones in their facility.
“Debbie and David Turner approached Dr. [Stephen] Briggs and asked if [opening AGC] would even be a possibility,” Baldwin said. “And he was open to the idea, and [AGC] started from there.”
Amber Grace will have a community and recreation center
There will be eight homes in their community, four buildings for men and four buildings for women, with facilities to provide job readiness, personal development and other fun courses through their NeighborLife Program to foster lifelong learning opportunities.
“NeighborLife is a big part of Amber Grace, so that’s workshops, fitness, things during the day where they will receive training and job readiness, personal growth and [there will be] fun stuff in there too,” Baldwin said. “We provide a place to live, but also want to help them become more independent, develop skills and grow as individuals.”
AGC has had conversations with Berry about possible and internship opportunities through the LifeWorks program for Berry students to work closely with AGC residents. Possible jobs, as Baldwin mentioned, include mentorship, coaching and other part-time openings as they see fit.
“We’ve already had some contact with faculty about internships in some different fields, whether in education or kinesiology or psychology or anything that might be related to that,” Baldwin said.
Baldwin says he hopes the relationship between Berry and AGC is not one-sided. He wants there to be ways residents can engage with Berry and the broader Rome Floyd community through service and even Berry sports events.
“Hopefully, people [will] see them at coffee shops, grocery stores, volunteering at the library, volunteering on Berry’s campus,” Baldwin said. “We really hope to become an integral part of life in the wider community.”
AGC will have Support Families that will live in the same building as the residents, but everyone will have their own private spaces. Support Families will help the residents with tasks ranging from getting up in the morning to having dinner together, so the residents feel that they are independent but a part of something greater. Baldwin states that the need for communities like AGC is remarkable.
“The need out there is incredible,” Baldwin said. “People are glad to hear that we’re opening because they have so many people that want to get into their [facilities] that they’re happy to be able to refer people to us.”
The idea is to get AGC started in Rome. If the AGC board decides, they will investigate setting up more communities or helping others adapt the concept and build facilities of their own.