By Daniel Dotson danieldotson@forsythnews.com
The Nov. 2 zoning approval of Keystone Village brought joyful tears and exuberant cheers to many families whose lives will be affected by the decision. Now, the two mothers spearheading the project have their sights set on the next steps toward making their dream a reality.
Beth Burns and Tammy Miller, the founders of Keystone Village, set out in 2019 to create a residential community in Forsyth County dedicated to the care and support of adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities. Both women find their passion for the project rooted deeply in their own family experiences.
About 30 years ago, Burns and her husband Steve looked into adoption when they learned they were unable to have children of their own. During the process of adopting their son Ian, the Burns family noticed that he wasn’t meeting typical developmental milestones.
Eventually, they would learn that Ian had a hole in his brain, which doctors believe is likely linked to a young mother who may have attempted to abort Ian early in her pregnancy.
“The doctor said, ‘He’s going to be profoundly handicapped. He’ll never walk or talk, he’ll be visually impaired, he’ll have seizures…'” said Burns. “He just rattled off all this stuff. I remember looking at him and saying, ‘Have you ever seen a miracle?'”
After days of deliberation and prayer, Burns felt that she had been called by God to take care of Ian, and the couple went through with the adoption process. “We prayed for a miracle every single night,” said Burns. “I think the miracle was that we were able to care for him.”
Miller grew up in a family where five of her parents’ nine daughters were adopted, so adoption was always in her heart. She and her husband Stephen would go on to adopt seven of their 12 children. “We have five biological daughters,” said Miller. “And we have six sons and one daughter that are adopted from foster care.”
All of the Millers’ adopted children have some form of developmental disability, ranging from autism to spina bifida and cerebral palsy.
In addition to the passion brought out by their families, both Burns and Miller attribute the success and story of Keystone Village to their deep seated Christian faith. “Our faith is something that has been driving us to do this,” said Miller. “It’s been amazing to watch how God set things in motion years and years ago.”
Even the name Keystone Village has religious implications. Architecturally, a keystone is the central stone in an archway that stabilizes the structure and bears the weight of the other stones. To Burns and Miller, it has another meaning as well.
“In our faith, we hear that Christ is the keystone of our lives,” said Burns. “We felt like that was a good image and representation for who we would like to be. We would like to be a strong foundation for our future residents’ lives.”
Both women saw a need in the community for sustainable housing solutions for adults with disabilities, which was reenforced by the results of a 2020 study that was completed with the help of District 4 Commissioner Cindy Jones Mills.
The results of the study were presented to the Forsyth County Board of Commissioners in June 2020 by Dr. Laura Brackin, President and CEO of Brackin and Associates.
According to the study, there were 881 students with disabilities in the Forsyth County school system during the year 2020, and 35% of them were nearing the age of 21 at which time they must transition out of the school system.
The study also showed that the percentage of young adults with disabilities that lived with their families or legal guardians was 96%. Brackin considered that percentage to be high when compared to the national average of 75%.
Perhaps the most important statistic that Brackin cited as evidence for the need of housing solutions to support the county’s disabled population was the average age of the community’s caretakers.
According to Brackin’s study, 21% of the caretakers that cared for adults with disabilities were at least 60 years old, and another 62% were between 45 and 59 years old.
With an aging population of parents and caretakers, the future appears uncertain for many adults who rely on near-constant support in their lives. The concern for many adults disabled adults could end up without sustainable and affordable housing options is what the first spurred Burns and Miller into action.
“If the community is not taking care of the folks that need the most protection, the most care, we’re going to be a weak community,” said Miller. “Keystone is an opportunity to help Forsyth County and the surrounding areas grow into strong, thriving beautiful communities.”
With the assistance of the Forsyth County commissioners and a dedicated, Keystone Village has attracted several acts of charity that have help to kickstart the project.
An 8-acre plot of land was donated by the Pacific Group, a company developing a neighboring townhome community. The Pacific Group is giving up 72 townhomes in their own development to provide a space for Keystone Village to be built.
Additionally, architect David Brown has provided his services to Keystone Village entirely free of charge.
“I like to think of myself as an advocate for their vision and what they’re trying to accomplish,” said Brown. “Not only here in Georgia, but across the United States. Even if they’re not thinking like that yet, they will be.”
Keystone Village is on track to open its doors as early as 2026 but Burns and Miller have stressed that they still need a lot of support from the community to fund materials and infrastructure for the project.
Anyone interested in donating to Keystone Village or helping to organize fundraisers can find out more at www.keystonevillage.org.
“This has been a huge task for two moms on a mission,” said Burns. “We just feel like we’ve been blessed every step of the way. We really want to make this a shining star in this county that we can all benefit from, be supportive of, and be proud of.”
