Doug Horn Receives Community Service Award
 (Nov.
19, 2002) - These are excerpts from remarks made by Dr. Anne Penney,
Executive Director who presented the award to Mr. Horn
In this next award we want to recognize someone who has made a true
difference in our community. Doug Horn. The award is presented to Mr.
Horn for creating beautiful housing for persons with mental illness and
mental retardation in our community. Doug was a board member for our
Center. He approached me one day and said he felt he had a different way
he wanted to contribute. There the process began.
Unfortunately, the battles also began. We began to experience first
hand how much stigma and misunderstanding there still is about people
with disabilities living in neighborhoods. Doug Horn and his wife BJ
have really fought for the rights of citizens of Opelika to live in
beautiful housing, in safe neighborhoods.
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| This beautiful new home is the fourth home Mr.
Horn has built for our Center. |
These have sometimes come with personal prices. People have
threatened, attacked, accused. He has been calm and courageous. He has
lived his faith and his belief that this is what he was meant to be
doing. He and his family have invested enormous resources to make sure
our facilities are beautiful. He works hard to make sure the
construction and the quality are what any of us would want to live in.
You have taught Opelika how well we can fit into neighborhoods. One of
our homes even won the Opelika Beautification Award this summer. Our
consumers want to thank you and have prepared these thank you cards to
let you know how much you are appreciated.
Dr. Penney then recognized Mrs. Horn
BJ was at all the planning commission meetings. (As she says, “fighting
for our folks”). She lives and works in this community and had to go
through many hurtful comments of those who misunderstood what they were
trying to do. She and Doug brought their daughters to the meetings to
show them how hard they were willing to fight for what they believe in.
Thank you Doug and BJ—you are our heroes!
In accepting the award, Doug said, “I was asked not to build the
first house. Once it was approved, and the second house was approved in
the same meeting. I knew it was a sign that God was telling me I was on
the right track. Sometimes you have to take a leap of faith”.
Thank you, Doug and BJ for how you keep taking leaps to make sure our
consumers have beautiful homes.
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