Thomas and Reba O’Neal receive the 2008 Thomas E. Roberts Award

Thomas and Reba O’Neal of Louisiana Baptist Children's Home
are presented with the 2008 Thomas E. Roberts Award
by Tommy Frost, Director of Cottage Life.

Thomas and Reba O’Neal are wonderful cottage parents.  They possess a balanced approach to life and work.  They give their children positive acceptance along with acceptable boundaries.  Mr. and Mrs. O’Neal provide love and leadership that shapes their children’s world with positive and helpful choices.  They are involved in every facet of their children’s lives.  They help their children excel in school.  They are role models of church involvement.  They look for opportunities for their children to be involved in community and family activities.  They are team players who make a valuable contribution to the positive atmosphere of this campus.  Their cottage is a place where children feel at home.  Their cottage radiates warmth and Southern charm.

They have been cottage parents for over 20 years.  During that time they have had 150 children live in their cottage that range in age from 4-19.  They have worked well with their teenagers and their preschoolers.  They have helped weak students to pass and have helped gifted student to excel.  They have children who grew up in their cottage who now consider them the grandparents of their own children.  They have attended numerous weddings for their children and been at many funerals for family members of their children.  They carry on various campus responsibilities that include but are not limited to maintenance, recreation, driving, and advising.  They are good role models of training and staff relations.  They go above and beyond their job description.  They have lost family members and faced their share of illness and other difficulties.  Yet, through it all they have been faithful to work and to maintain a positive outlook.  They are leaders in their church and help their children build a spiritual foundation for life.

In addition to their responsibilities as cottage parents, they have served as foster parents to babies who have been surrendered for adoption.  In 10 years they have had over 50 babies who they have cared for until adoptive homes could be situated.  They then, through their tears, lovingly placed those babies in the arms of their adoptive parents.

For these and many more reasons, I am happy to nominate them for the Thomas E. Roberts Award.

Joyfully Yours,

Tommy Frost

From the nomination submitted by Tommy Frost, Director of Cottage Life, Louisiana Baptist Children's Home.