[{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BlogPosting","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/rainbow-omega-a-haven-of-hope\/#BlogPosting","mainEntityOfPage":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/rainbow-omega-a-haven-of-hope\/","headline":"Rainbow Omega: A haven of hope","name":"Rainbow Omega: A haven of hope","description":"Stentson Carpenter honored as Alumni of the Year at Faulkner Homecoming 2020 Walking through the cozy apartments and living quarters of those with mental disabilities at Rainbow Omega, visitors can see how a girl with Down\u2019s syndrome decorated her room…","datePublished":"2020-02-29","dateModified":"2020-08-17","author":{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/#Person","name":"Rebecca Burylo","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/author\/rburylo\/","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/37a0c97fbd1eda89e38697defcaf0573?s=96&d=mm&r=g","height":96,"width":96}},"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Faulkner University","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Official-Horizontal-480x128.png","width":480,"height":128}},"image":{"@type":"ImageObject","@id":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Faulkner-University-Top-30-Most-Affordable-Master\u2019s-in-Criminal-Justice-Online-Programs-2018-500x281.jpg","url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/wp-content\/uploads\/Faulkner-University-Top-30-Most-Affordable-Master\u2019s-in-Criminal-Justice-Online-Programs-2018-500x281.jpg","width":500,"height":281},"url":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/rainbow-omega-a-haven-of-hope\/","about":["News"],"wordCount":889,"articleBody":"Stentson Carpenter honored as Alumni of the Year at Faulkner Homecoming 2020Walking through the cozy apartments and living quarters ofthose with mental disabilities at Rainbow Omega, visitors can see how a girlwith Down\u2019s syndrome decorated her room in pink unicorns, and fluffy greenpillows. Another girl down the hall displayed her paintings of rainbow colored fishon the walls. Color is everywhere. It makes Rainbow Omega feel like a home. When you visit, you\u2019ll most likely be greeted with warmsmiles and a question posed by one of the residents – \u201cWill you be my friend?\u201dEveryone is energetic and eager to make newcomers feel welcomed. It\u2019s a place wherethey feel loved, cared for and given the freedom to live their lives to theabsolute fullest.Rainbow Omega, the state\u2019s only private facility offering\u2018round-the-clock care for disabled adults, allows men and women, who were bornwith physical and mental challenges a safe place to gather, laugh, eat and work.Meaning \u201chope in the end,\u201d Rainbow Omega derives its meaningfrom the Biblical rainbow in Genesis that was a sign of hope from God tomankind and omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet. Owner and founderCarpenter Stentson, 74 and his wife Dianne created Rainbow Omega from a sharedvision to provide a sheltered community for adults with developmentaldisabilities and provide parents, like themselves, with peace in knowing theirchildren will be cared for when they are gone. Stentson, a Faulkner alumnus, was recently honored at Faulkner University\u2019s 2020 Homecoming weekend and was named Alumni of the Year for his extensive work through Rainbow Omega.\u201cRainbow Omega is our vision, but it doesn\u2019t feel likework,\u201d Carpenter said. \u201cThis place is a part of who we are. My son Christopherhas always had special needs and he was our inspiration.\u201d\u201cWe want him to have a quality of life and live out his lifein a protected environment. We know there are many like him in the world and wewant them to have a happy, healthy life and have a rich quality of life.\u201dHome to nearly 100 residents, Rainbow Omega is a sprawlingcampus and medical facility tucked away in Eastaboga, Alabama, and providesresidential care in seven large family-style group homes. Residents have aprivate bedroom furnished with their own personal belongings. Live-in housemanagers create a sense of family in safe, comfortable, and securesurroundings. The house managers also teach life skills to maximize eachindividual\u2019s potential for independence. Each resident is encouraged to learnand master new skills according to their abilities. House family groups alsoparticipate in various social activities to provide integration within thecommunity at large.A 16-bed Intermediate Care Facility was opened in 2007 forDevelopmentally Disabled to care for medically frail men and women who needmore specialized care. This facility provides ongoing evaluations and 24-hoursupervision by nursing staff and treats elderly residents diagnosed withdementia, cancer and other diseases that come with age. Another facility of itskind was opened in 2013. Before Rainbow Omega, Stentson and his wife weremissionaries in the Caribbean for five years with their two sons, but they knewanother mission of faith was calling them instead. They returned to the States and settled in Montgomery wherea friend told him about Faulkner University. Stentson knew that in order tofulfill his dream for his family, he would need a degree in a related field. At Faulkner, he pursued a second Bible degree and pursued aminor in sociology. He graduated in 1987, bought a poultry farm and ten yearslater raised enough money to open Rainbow Omega as an official 501c3 nonprofitin 1990, buy land and opened up the first home five years later. Since then, they have thrived and grown over the last 25years. They now have 115 employees serving residents from 18 years old to 95 on350 acres. Complete with a work center, green houses and a florist andproduce shop, the campus at Rainbow Omega has everything their residents need.For those who are able and want to work, the work center allows residents tolearn new skills and feel accomplishment and satisfaction after a day of workand are paid for their services. By partnering with Honda, residents work on sophisticatedassembly lines to produce car manuals and other items. Others find enjoyment working in the seasonal greenhousescultivating produce and flowers and selling honey and soaps at their shop.During the Christmas season, their poinsettias are very popular gifts. Stentsonalso takes residents who want to go to his church, Lincoln Church of Christ,where he is an active member.\u201cCarpenter will bring residents from Rainbow Omega and theyare some of the most gifted and lovable people you\u2019ll ever meet,\u201d said MarkMartin, the minister at Lincoln Church of Christ and another Faulkner alumnus.\u201cI\u2019ve known Carpenter for 35 years and he and his wife are just wonderfulpeople and have given of themselves to make Rainbow Omega prosper for as longas I\u2019ve known them.\u201dFor Stentson, running Rainbow Omega is what he was put onearth to do.\u201cThis is my life. You have to make your life count forsomething and this is what we have invested our lives in,\u201d Stentson said.\u201cWe\u2019ve been very blessed.\u201d"},{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org\/","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"News","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/#breadcrumbitem"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Rainbow Omega: A haven of hope","item":"https:\/\/www.faulkner.edu\/news\/rainbow-omega-a-haven-of-hope\/#breadcrumbitem"}]}]