Our Story
The BiG story is inspired by Gracie Kiltz.
All things “BiG” were inspired by Gracie Kiltz who unexpectedly departed for heaven on Sept 8, 2018, when she was 26. Gracie was the youngest of Erin and John Kiltz’s three children. Gracie was born in 1992 with Down Syndrome and was bursting at the seams with personality. When she was 2 years old, she was diagnosed with leukemia and after a year of inpatient chemotherapy, she contracted a triple bacterial infection in the hospital and flat-lined for 20 minutes. As a result of that, she was left with severe brain damage. Against all odds, Gracie lived, but with the prognosis of never walking, talking, eating, or smiling again. Every night her older brother and sister prayed “Lord, if you are willing, please bring Gracie’s smile back.” Fast forward 15 years, not only did her smile return, the student body of Georgetown High School elected her Homecoming Queen in 2010. Gracie made national news! This was the beginning of the paradigm shift and foreshadowed the dignity and purpose that would come through Brookwood in Georgetown.
One week after this Homecoming victory Erin met with educators discussing Gracie’s options post-graduation. When she asked the question, ‘What’s next for my daughter’ she was told what many parents of special needs children are told: ‘Nothing for Gracie. And few options for her friends.’
The hopeless future for Gracie launched Erin on a mission to find a place & a purpose for Gracie and her friends. After a nationwide search, she stumbled upon the Brookwood Community’s website. She & her husband John immediately made an appointment to go and tour. When she first stepped onto the campus of the BWC she felt like Dorothy on the Wizard of Oz when her house crashes down and she opens the door, and her world goes from Black & White to Color. It was the most beautiful model of community Erin had ever witnessed & it just happened to be home and workplace to over 200 adults with special needs.
There are 5 things that really set the BWC model apart that Brookwood in Georgetown has also adopted.
First & foremost: we are a God-Centered community. You’ll see this represented with God’s Chair- a visual reminder that God loves us and is always present with us.
Second, we operate on the free enterprise system. Everything the Citizens (we) make is sold in a high-end gift shop, café, and greenhouse
The world teaches us that we have to be independent. At BiG we believe in an interdependent working community, that we are all created with complementary strengths and weaknesses- I need you and you need me, and when we work together, we truly can accomplish the potential that God has intended for us.
We don’t take federal or state funding. The truth is you cannot run an excellent program on what the government will provide. However, we never want to turn anyone away for financial reasons, therefore we hold an annual art auction which raises money for need-based scholarships.
Finally, we believe that we serve God by serving one another as well as our community. For most special needs adults, their lives have always been about being served. Our Citizens are given the opportunity to now serve and give back.
Erin took this idea back to the school district and started a pilot program. This pilot grew quickly and then she migrated the program to her kitchen. In November of 2011, Brookwood in Georgetown officially opened its doors at the Georgetown Church of Christ. This amazing Church body allowed us to operate free of charge for 4.5 years and without them we would not be where we are today. In 2016, BiG purchased and renovated a former mattress store. In 2020 BiG opened the Amazing Grace Building which provided more space for our Citizen’s work enterprises as well as administrative offices for our staff.
Our Citizens are engaged in over a dozen meaningful work enterprises: hand-built pottery, fudge, granola, cookies & pies, soap making, candles, jewelry, the epilog laser engraver, handmade greeting cards and so much more. Presently, BiG’s program exists on three campuses: BiG Main, BiG Light and BiG ATX with collectively over 100 Citizens. In 2021 BiG purchased 127 acres in Weir Texas, 6 miles from our main campus. Grace Place will be a full residential community for 80 Citizens where they will thrive for a lifetime. Currently, we have two community homes, a Tiny Home Village (THV), THV Clubhouse and The Gathering Place (community facility) is under construction now.
Bringing the vision of BiG, now Grace Place to fruition is a dream come true for Erin and John. They believe wholeheartedly all that has happened over the last 13 years is a testimony of God’s extravagant love and provision for our children with special needs.