Father Joe to Give Tour of Site for New Children’s Village
Former Working Ranch Will be a Haven for Foster Youths

   SAN DIEGO — Father Joe Carroll, president of St. Vincent de Paul Village, will lead a tour of the organization’s new site for the Children’s Village, located at 1880 Lake Morena Drive, on Saturday, June 7, at 10 a.m.

   Eighty Village volunteers will accompany Father Joe on the visit to the property, currently known as the Flying A Ranch, where St. Vincent’s plans to build housing and support facilities for 240 foster youths.

   The 118-acre parcel of land was formerly a working cattle ranch and served a short stint as a winery. The recently donated property is the perfect rehabilitative setting for needy children, says Father Joe.

   "The rural backdrop is a far cry from the urban setting many of the foster kids will come from," he says. "Children will leave the chaos, uncertainty and intimidation of the big city and come to the ranch, where they can focus on being kids and being a family."

   Father Joe has already put the property to use, welcoming Boy Scout troops and other youth groups for retreats and camping.

  Construction of the new facility is scheduled to begin sometime late next year and support for the project continues to grow.

   "The Children’s Village is something that must happen," Father Joe says. "Our donors and staff understand the need for this kind of a development and the group of people we have working on it can definitely make it happen."

   Heading the team is Barry McComic, a developer who played significant roles in building the community of Rancho Bernardo and completing the Polinsky Children’s Center, a facility for abused children.

   For more information on Saturday’s tour, call (619) 525-2207.

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