Fort Myers couple raising 15 children received a gift of a lifetime – a home

Fort Myers, Florida — A 13-bedroom home was gifted to a Florida family that is raising 15 kids. “I’m speechless,” Scott Hamilton said after he and his wife, Cherrie, found out that the house they have been renting for four years is now theirs. “I’m amazed how the Lord has worked this whole situation, and I’m happy for the kids, too, because they’ll always have this,” he said.

Thanks to the generosity of several anonymous donors they are homeowners of a 13-bedroom house in Fort Myers. Dan O’Berski and his family coordinated the effort to renovate the house in 2017, and they returned December 30th to surprise the Hamiltons with the deed to the house. The project cost about $400,000 and close to 65 people contributed money or volunteered during the renovation.

In 2016, the Hamiltons and their real estate agent found the house, and start their nonprofit foundation, Jonathan’s Place. They asked O’Berski, who was a friend, so he coordinated volunteers and donors to renovate the house. The Hamiltons began homeschooling the children when the pandemic started, and they hired a teacher to help them manage during the day.

Scott and Cherrie Hamilton have 21 homegrown, adopted, and almost-adopted children, ages 30 to 2 years old. “For us (the house) is just supportive of something that there’s no chance in the world that we could ever come close to doing. What we know how to do is gather people around other amazing people and let them see the awesome work that God is doing,” Dan O’Berski said.