ROBERTSDALE, Alabama --- Under His Wings group home for girls in Robertsdale has come a long way in a short time.

Since meeting with executive director Angie Michal in April renovation on the 40-year-old home located off of U.S. Highway 90, which was acquired by the group from the Mildorf family, is nearly complete.

“I’d say we’ll be finished with it in a couple of weeks,” Michal said in an interview on Wednesday. A lot has been accomplished in a short period of time thanks to donations of both time and money from numerous supporters.

Under His Wings has gained support from local contractors and businesses, several Baldwin County churches, professional counselors, doctors, civic groups and schools. They have also received a grant from the MAPP Family Foundation and donations from the Robertsdale Rotary Club.

“There’s so many people to thank I can’t possibly name them all,” she said. All told, Michal estimates that about $40,000 has been donated so far. “We want to especially thank (Mayor Charles Murphy) and everyone at the city of Robertsdale for their generosity. They have helped in whatever way we’ve asked them to.”

Donations of labor have also helped, Michal said, estimating that somewhere between 150 and 200 people have donated time and money to the cause, the latest coming from a group called Alabama Campers on Missions which travels throughout the state, volunteering their time with construction projects similar to the one at Under His Wings.

“It’s such a worthy project,” said volunteer Pete Thrift, a resident of Lillian. “We want to do whatever we can to help out.”

It’s a long way from the vision which began in June of 2006 with Dr. Lorena “Nena” E. Hunt, an OB/GYN in Fairhope and was nurtured independently by two other women, Cindy Marshall, a longtime patient of Hunt who, along with her husband John, will serve as group parents and have already set up an apartment and are living in the home; and Tracey Cioncoli, a Daphne business owner who has served as a youth and children’s ministry director, who started her journey with a vision of using the plantation house in Malbis.

Bottom line, the 20-room mansion was too large and the $1 million renovation price-tag was too steep for the fledgling group.

In the meantime, Michal said, the group was developing its website, underhiswings.info with the help of Marlene Messler of Millenial Solutions LLC, which specializes in designing interactive prayer websites. Her daughter, Malynda McLaughlin, designed the logo for the group and was instrumental in setting up the site.

“Soon after we were approached by the Mildorf family,” Michal said. “Their mother, Mary Mildorf, had died about a year before and they felt her home in Robertsdale would be ideal to use for the home.”

The 5 bedroom, 5 ½ bath home was built in the early 1970s by the Mildorf family.

“It was like it was built for us,” Michal said. “I mean, nobody builds homes with 5 ½ baths anymore.”

At her death at the age of 92, Mildorf had spent much of her life caring for others, Michal said. She was even known take in strangers who needed a place to stay in her guest bedroom. Mildorf was also Messler’s mother, McLaughlin’s grandmother.

Through donations, the group was able to enter into a lease-purchase agreement with the Mildorf family for the house and two acres on the more than 200-acre estate. The house was also “adopted” room by room by businesses and groups, who provided furnishings and other materials for the rooms.

Over the last several months, the group has worked to update the house and get it ready to serve as a backdrop for a six-month program for girls ages 13 to 18, and will provide support for “girls suffering from life controlling issues, such as depression, eating disorders and self-harm,” according to the group’s brochure.

The group has come a long way, but it still has a long way to go.

“We have to be licensed by the state,” Michal said, “but that can’t happen until the state fire marshal signs off on the home, which can’t happen until the renovations are finished.”

Once the renovations are finished, the process of being inspected by the state can begin, a process that could take months, Michal said.

“We’re hoping to be open within a couple of months,” she said. “It really all depends on how soon the inspection can be done and approved.”

Then there’s a matter of money. It is estimated that approximately $30,000 is needed for the group home to open its doors, said Pam Charlton, who is organizing fundraisers for the group.

The group is hoping to get 30 sponsors willing to contribute $1,000 for the home. The group is also conducting a brick paver donation program at $100 each.

A fundraiser has also been planned for Sept. 22 at the PZK Civic Center in Robertsdale, Charlton said, with entertainment and events planned for the entire family.

In the afternoon, the group will stage a competition called “Men Who Can Cook.” There will also be a silent auction.  The group is asking for vendors who can rent a spot to display or sell their products. Sponsorships are also available for the event.

“Any type of donation is welcome,” Charlton said. “We’ll take money, labor, materials and anyone who wants to host an event is certainly welcome to do so.”

Once completed, the facility will house up to 10 girls, two per room, with an apartment set up for Marshall and her husband as house parents.

The group is privately funded and, while it does receive donations from churches, is not affiliated with any church, Michal said. It also does not receive any government funding.

Anyone wanting to donate can contact Charlton at 251-978-8943 or donations can also be received at the group’s website http://underhiswings.info or mail to Under His Wings, 7099 Wood Acres Drive, Fairhope, AL 36532.