Isaiah 117 House Eastman Credit Union training center officially opens

Published 5:24 pm Thursday, July 24, 2025

By Lynn J. Richardson
Star Correspondent

Isaiah 117 House held an official ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new Isaiah 117 House Eastman Credit Union Training Center on Wednesday.

The center’s opening will provide space to train and retrain employees for the Isaiah 117 House mission — to provide physical and emotional support in a safe and loving home for children awaiting foster care placement.

According to Corey Paulson, Isaiah 117 House director of development, the 2,000-square-foot center now attached to the organization’s Resource Center at 1705 State Line Road will be used to train about 20 employees every other month, five times a year. “Both new and seasoned employees will have the opportunity to get a refresher course on everything Isaiah 117 House,” he said. “They will come to Elizabethton, Tennessee, from Texas, from Indiana, from everywhere, to learn more about the ‘Red Door Culture,’” he added, referencing the signature red doors that are standard on all Isaiah 117 Houses.

“The ‘old’ employees will act as mentors to the newer ones, offering advice and answering their 10,000 questions,” Christy Dickison, director of culture, added.

The official opening was attended by Isaiah 117 House staff, representatives of Eastman Credit Union, Isaiah 117 House executive board members and members of the community.

Representing the partnership between Isaiah 117 House and Eastman Credit Union, Chuck Perry, vice president, branch operations, spoke to the group.

“We believe in the power of community,” Perry said. “This is my hometown, and I am so happy to be here today.”

Calling ECU’s involvement with Isaiah 117 House “deeply personal,” Perry’s voice took on an emotional tone as he explained that he has a great-niece and nephew who came through the foster care system and were the recipients of the “lavish love” provided at a local Isaiah 117 House.

“Thanks to Isaiah 117 House, they made the transition,” he said, “and my great-niece still has her little purple blanket she received there.”

The children, now ages 6 and 3, are now Perry’s nephew and his wife’s only children.

“When our first Isaiah 117 House opened here in 2018, we had one employee — me,” founder and executive director Ronda Paulson told the group gathered for the event. “That year we had 40 trained volunteers, and we served 50 children.”

Fast forward to 2025, the Isaiah 117 House organization now has 58 locations, with 31 open houses in 13 states, according to Paulson. They are 180 employees strong, with 7,000 trained volunteers, and the houses have served over 10,000 children.

The organization, which was founded and began in Elizabethton, Tennessee, now has multiple locations in the state. Other states where Isaiah 117 Houses have been established include Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

“When we started,” Paulson continued, “we thought God wanted to change how foster care began in Tennessee. What we know now is that He wanted to change foster care across the country. This building behind us will help us serve that purpose.”