New Mansion Opens for Abused & Abandoned Girls
Clarissa Stephens Shoals Bureau Reporter
April 22, 2009
Abused, abandoned, and neglected girls in northwest Alabama will soon have a new home. The home will provide them with love, care, and attention they are being deprived of.
Neatly made beds sit in rooms, pink knobs and flowers adorn the dresser drawers, and brand new clothes hang in the closet inside a home in Colbert County. The 23-room mansion is awaiting ten young girls.
Rick Hall, legendary music producer and founder of Fame Recording Studios, lived in this house for 32 years with his wife and three sons. He's donated his home and part of his land to the Alabama Sheriff's Youth Ranches.
"I feel wonderful about it," says Hall. "I think it's the grandest feeling I've ever had."
The home will become a safe haven for girls ages 5 - 18-years-old that are abused, abandoned, or neglected. Having grown up poor with divorced parents, Hall says he can identify with what some of the girls are going through.
"We were paupers," explains Hall. "My father had no land. He didn't have a house. He had nothing. So, this is big for me."
The ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday marked the end of a five-year process. Many supporters were present, including Alabama Attorney General Troy King. King says the house will have a big impact on a lot of lives.
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