A few years ago, a group of pastors, board members, and devoted partners gathered with One More Child leadership around a shared vision: to impact Sarasota like never before. Since this moment, the vision was tested through challenges, delays, and seasons of restructuring—but through it all, God remained faithful.
Now, we are seeing the fruit of that faithfulness as we celebrate the grand opening of One More Child’s Sarasota Palm Garden Campus.
Just months ago, we opened the Single Moms homes in Palm Garden Village. Already, we’ve seen lives begin to change as moms and their children experience stability, healing, and renewed hope through our Sarasota residential program.
Now, that momentum continues. Last week, we celebrated the completion of another key piece of our vision—the Vern and Sandy Buchanan Children’s Center.
Seeing the Need
In Sarasota and surrounding areas, children and families are facing real hardship, hunger, and heartache. Nearly 57,000 people are experiencing food insecurity. On any given day, roughly 400 children are in foster care or placement outside of their homes. More than 12,700 households are struggling to meet basic needs—nearly half led by single mothers.
These numbers are more than mere statistics—they’re our neighbors. They are parents working tirelessly to provide, children longing for stability, and families doing everything they can to make it through each day.
At One More Child, we step into these realities and walk alongside people facing their hardest moments. We see the need, and we are doing something about it.
Setting the Vision
After identifying the need in Sarasota, we got to work, determining how to best meet the needs and who would join us in this mission. Leaders, pastors, partners, and staff came together to build a plan for a campus that would serve children and families in crisis. Among the leaders of this charge was Pastor Bill Hild.
As a One More Child board member and lead pastor at First Sarasota: The Downtown Baptist Church, Pastor Bill Hild had a unique understanding of the community’s needs—and the role One More Child could play in meeting them. He was one of the original visionaries for the Sarasota campus.
Pastor Hild has planted roots of love and transformation in the Sarasota community for decades. In honor of his legacy, we have planted a tree on the new Sarasota campus. This will serve as a lasting reminder of his role as a catalyst for the campus that will shape the lives of children and families for generations to come.
As the vision took shape, more partners continued to join.
Pat McCarver, owner of Palm Garden Healthcare, had faithfully partnered with One More Child for many years through generous giving, volunteering, and ongoing support. But she had a specific desire to invest significantly in the Sarasota community and build a space for vulnerable children. That vision became a reality through Palm Garden Village—a neighborhood of four paired villas, eight homes total on our Sarasota campus, designed for single moms and their children in our residential program.
That momentum continued with the generosity of the Granberry family. After connecting through Pastor Bill Hild’s church, William (Bill) and Joyce Granberry gave sacrificially to help complete the Single Moms homes at Palm Garden Village. Today, their children—Suellen Granberry-Hager, William A. Granberry, Jr., and Julia Granberry King—carry on that legacy of faith and generosity.
Then, through another connection made by Pastor Hild, the vision for the heart of the campus began to take shape.
Stepping Into Impact
As devoted members of First Sarasota, Vern and Sandy Buchanan sought to make a lasting impact for the Kingdom of God. When Pastor Hild introduced them to One More Child, it became clear this partnership was a perfect fit.
Vern Buchanan has faithfully served in the United States Congress as a representative of Florida for nearly 20 years. Congressman Buchanan recently announced he will retire at the end of this coming term, but his devotion to the community of Southwest Florida remains steadfast.
Sandy Buchanan also leads extraordinary work that has touched lives, strengthened communities, and made a meaningful difference across Southwest Florida through her work with the Buchanan Foundation and support of local organizations, including One More Child. Sandy Buchanan currently serves on One More Child’s board of directors, helping direct our ministry to have a greater impact.
Together, Vern and Sandy decided they wanted to partner on our Sarasota Campus in a big way. They chose to build the Vern and Sandy Buchanan Children’s Center.
The Buchanan Children’s Center will serve as a hub of ministry, community, and support for vulnerable children and struggling families in Sarasota. At the Children’s Center, we will host training for new and prospective foster parents, teach life skills classes for single moms in our residential program, lead Backpack Meal events so children won’t go hungry over the weekend, and provide countless volunteer opportunities.
Hundreds of children and individuals will be served through the Vern and Sandy Buchanan Children’s Center in the coming months and years. Children will receive hope, parents will receive support, and families will receive restoration.
Last week, we celebrated the grand opening of the Vern and Sandy Buchanan Children’s Center with the Buchanan family, Pastor Bill Hild, the Granberry family, Palm Garden Healthcare, and many local partners.
