Experience is the greatest teacher, the old adage goes. And it rings true for Dr. Chris Banning and his wife, Sue.

The Bannings, longtime pillars of the White House community through their business, White House Chiropractic and winners of the “Leaving a Legacy Award” at the 2024 Stay Positive News Legacy Gala, have found an added calling because of their struggle to find suitable home care for their then-17-year-old son, Josh, who was diagnosed with a disabling condition.

Their Godly mission? Way Maker Place, a non-profit safe home near Springfield that provides quality, affordable, safe care for men with disabilities and guides the road to recovery. Located on 3.5 pristine country acres, this dwelling was purchased by the Bannings in January 2024. Josh, now 30, has successfully settled in as a Way Maker Place resident.

“There are a lot of situations where the parents have spent all their time, money and energy taking care of these young men,” says Chris. “It gets to the point of ‘Okay, now what do we do? We’re no longer able to take care of you, so we’ll just push you off on the government.’ That’s not a desirable scenario for anybody.

“We know what that feels like. Our heart is in not only helping the individuals suffering with disability, but also helping the parents, too, who come to us just exhausted.”

The vision of Way Maker Place is seven-fold:

(1) To provide support, structure, care and fellowship to individuals who often feel isolated;

(2) To provide hope and to help each individual reach their highest level of independence and inspire them to reach attainable goals;

(3) To provide assurance to families that the ones entrusted to our care are thriving while living at Way Maker Place;

(4) To learn about each person’s unique gifts as they grow and to prepare them for opportunities which match their gifts and skill level;

(5) To develop a relationship with local employers, volunteer organizations and surrounding community to help our residents participate in the workforce, activities and lives of those around them;

(6) To discover and develop relationships with key partners, donors, and friends to ensure that Way Maker Place will be a welcoming facility that can provide grace, care, stability, and safety for the individual and their family for many years to come; and most important of all: and

(7) To provide a place of hope in Christ Jesus.

To help in their cause, the Bannings hired Ken Creson as home manager for Way Maker Place in September. Ken’s past experiences volunteering with Teen Challenge and serving the homeless made him a “perfect fit” for the role. Ken oversees the day-to-day activities while the Bannings, who also live on the property, operate White House Chiropractic.

“God keeps opening doors for us and we’re walking through them, trusting that He’s going to provide,” says Sue. “Our biggest prayer right now is ‘God, please bring us the people that you want to have at Way Maker Place.” We’re totally in belief that He’s going to put the two together.”

Way Maker Place can house up to six residents, and with only two there now, Chris says the goal is to fill the facility to capacity.

“It’s proven that these young do better in a peer group setting – it’s a lot easier to handle,” says Chris. “There's a huge need for it because a lot of these guys fall through the cracks and become a statistic of the homeless population or the prison system.”

The year 2024 has been one marked by new beginnings for the Bannings as they established Way Maker Place. They are intent on making 2025 and beyond meaningful for this faith-based initiative.

“Everything is in place,” says Sue. “Now, we’re ready to see what God has in store.”

To learn more and support Way Maker Place, visit the organization on Facebook or at waymakerplace.org.