11/28/2023
Today is the infamous giving Tuesday.
An organization that has been on my heart for many years is LifeCare where I have served for nearly 17 years.  Among many other things, I have cared for the broken, loved the needy, fed the hungry and encouraged the discouraged.
Here’s more of my story with LifeCare… 
My name is Kelly Hawkins. I’m the VP of Operations for LifeCare Christian Center. Lillian Easterly-Smith is the Founding Director. Although we were each doing similar ministry for many years prior, Lillian started LifeCare in SE Michigan in 2007, with me on her start up team and co-laboring with her ever since.
I believe in LifeCare. Over and over, I’ve watched people’s lives be transformed from brokenness to wholeness, from being lost to having direction and purpose, from living in shame to living in beauty and redemption. I have watched individuals go from being collapsed in hopelessness to dancing with God in beautiful hope.
Although I’ve been active in ministry since I was in college, LifeCare has been a tool that God has used to transform me as well. The Apostle Paul says to be transformed by the renewing of your mind. I didn’t know how to find that transformation until I experienced some of the tools that God has led us to in LifeCare. Now I live with a greater freedom that allows me to love God and love others more than I was ever able to before.
I see people experiencing that same kind of freedom regularly as they participate in our retreats and classes.
Several years ago, Lillian moved to Florida to start a branch of LifeCare there while I stayed in Michigan to oversee the Michigan branch. Since she’s been in Florida, we’ve expanded outreach to some specific demographics including the homeless, addiction recovery and human trafficking survivors.
With the needs in these areas growing, our ability to meet the needs has been limited. In recent years, we’ve had a growing desire to acquire property where are we can care for these populations more effectively in community on a daily basis and allow God to use us to take a daily hands-on approach to see them move from being hopeless consumers of resources to becoming deeply transformed, whole, active and contributing members of society.
Just recently we’ve sensed the need to move forward with this vision to develop an environment we would call Arukah Ranch, which would be a branch of LifeCare. Arukah, which is Hebrew, means “to heal, restore, and rebuild — to bring into wholeness (body, soul, spirit).”
We have come across an ideal property in Arcadia Florida that is situated on 20 acres and already has a house, barn and pond on the property and is fenced, originally for cattle.
We have put in an offer and are hoping to purchase this property for $700,000. Once we are able to set up LifeCare’s presence and Arukah Ranch on the property, we would acquire various modalities to help the populations we serve to experience the same kind of freedom that I’ve experienced, and learn how to successfully live in the world, able to freely love God and love others.
Participants would be carefully vetted and decisions would be made for length of stay: three months, six months or one year. They would live in tiny homes set up on the property and have clear goals for their stay. They would be required to participate in many activities on the ranch, such as organic farming, cooking, self care, animal care of chickens and goats, beekeeping, ranch maintenance, art therapy, counseling, financial guidance/money management, Bible study, etc., and they would have close supervision daily.
Because of the nature of these populations, they are unable to currently afford the services, although we envision this changing through their healing journey, as we’ve seen these kinds of changes many times.
Although we support LifeCare with our own time, talents and treasures in many ways, we are in need of a community of those who are able to help. Quite specifically, we need to raise $70,000 by the end of the year and $700,000 in the next 12 months.
We realize this is a big goal. We are confident that God is at the center of it and has big plans in transforming lives through Arukah Ranch. That’s why we are moving forward in boldness and confidence, excited about gathering a team of warriors to join us, financially, prayerfully, relationally. We are eager to see the team of co-laborers that God is putting together for this purpose.
Would you consider being a part of our team in prayer and/or with financial backing or a financial pledge? We want you, and we need you.
This is the link to the property we would like to purchase: https://www.zillow.com/homedetails/3865-NE-Bobay-Rd-Arcadia-FL-34266/2055473849_zpid/
For more information about Arukah Ranch, feel free to go to ArukahRanch.org. And for more information on LifeCare, go to lifecarechristiancenter.org.
Please reach out to us for any communication. We would love to chat with you.
Please click on this link for any donation:  https://lifecarechristiancenter.org/giving-registration
Thank you so much!!
