We believe in hospitality.

The House, established as a non-profit organization in 2018, provides a safe and welcoming off-campus home for Middlebury College students, with a focus on students of color and international students. We celebrate diversity by practicing hospitality. In all kinds of ways, from meals and conversations, rides to the airport or a bed during winter break, we communicate to students that they are loved, valued, and accepted.

The foundations of The House go back to 2010, when we adopted Gedeleine, the youngest of our six children. After she came into our family, we began actively seeking to build relationships with students of color and international students at Middlebury College. We connected with the Distinguished Men of Color and then with the Office of International Students and Scholars. Soon we were getting to know students like Eshetu and Feliz. Then we applied to become a host family and met Armel, who was our first official host student. Through Armel we were meeting more and more students, like Gilbert and James and Maria.  Our home began to be an off-campus gathering place for students from all over the globe. Students came over for Ethiopian dinners of injera and doro wat. Other times it was a Saturday brunch of chilaquiles. As semesters and years passed we became friends with dozens of students. When they came into our home they immediately knew that they had found a place where they could relax and know that they were welcomed and accepted and safe. In many ways our home became their space.

For twelve years we’ve been sharing meals with students, housing them during breaks, storing their belongings for the summer, and welcoming their families for graduation. Our home has been a place where they eat and sleep, laugh and cry, play and dream. Students of color don’t always feel safe or welcome or accepted on campus. Here they are always accepted. They know that we love them, and we frequently remind them that God loves them as well.

In August 2018, we purchased a home in Middlebury, Vermont, with the intent to create a safe and welcoming space close to campus.  This proximity to the students we serve has allowed us to deepen our relationships and provide support for more students.