February 8, 2022
By: Bill Conger
Community leaders John and Kay Quintero who served at the helm of the Haven of Hope mental health counseling service and ministry recently were honored at a retirement reception and board meeting. Kay Quintero retired from counseling at the end of 2021, and John Quintero stepped down from his official business duties with the Haven near the end of 2020.
“Mr. John really has a heart for serving people,” says Haven of Hope Executive Director Samanthia Curtis. “I’ve known him my entire life, but working at the Haven, I’ve seen a completely different side to Mr. John. In church I always thought he looked a little stern. When I started working with him, I loved to watch him laugh with the people that came in. He relates so well to all the people that come through our doors.”
“Mrs. Kay is at the top of the list for a lot of us,” Curtis adds. “She has worked tirelessly to help build the Haven through her own counseling with the people that she sees. She has overseen a lot of counselor’s required professional supervision. If we get off track, I go ask Mrs. Kay again so I’m glad she’s still going to be around for me to be able to ask. I just want to say thank you Lord for sending John and Kay here to us all those years ago for them to move to Smithville and to start the Haven. They both have servant hearts and are such a good example for all of us.”
“John and Kay were some of the first people I met after moving here with my family almost 8 years ago,” recalls Haven Bookkeeper Susan Gray. “I knew then they would be a blessing to have in my life, and it was through Gods great providence that I was able to come work with them 7 years ago. Working at the Haven of Hope under their care has had its ups and downs as is the case when working with the public. There have been great blessings as well as hard situations through the years that I have been able to witness God moving through Ms. Kay and Mr. John. The way they love and care for each individual who comes through our doors is truly a testament to the love they have in Christ. Through our lives it is rare to find people who have servants’ hearts the way the Quintero’s do and they have been and continue to be a shining example of how God loves and cares for us. I am better today because of their guidance and example, and they will always hold a special place in my heart as well as those who they have served.”
Haven Board President and Smithville Cumberland Presbyterian pastor Isaac Gray says John and Kay have a heart to serve people and love people.
“We saw that with many folks who were addicted to a substance as well as people that are not addicted but needed a hand up or a little push to get them where they want to go,” Gray said.
“Kay is a true example of a Godly servant,” says Rita Bell, friend and former Office Manager. “Watching her in her walk has been an inspiration and a blessing to me. I wish there were more “Mrs. Kays” in the world.”
“They have meant so much to our program that I don’t know how we could have ever functioned without them,” says Kate Arnold, Coordinator of DeKalb County Recovery Court. “They have provided so many services to our participants that have been life lessons that these participants are still carrying with them today. We appreciate them. They mean a lot to our team members and to each participant that’s been through the DeKalb County Recovery Court over the years.”
Haven Board member and retired lawyer Sue Puckett-Jernigan says the Quinteros’ work has been “superior.”
“They are fine people,” says Puckett-Jernigan. “They understand people. They’re caring. I was so excited when they opened this Haven of Hope because it’s met the needs of our community.”
A professionally commissioned portrait of the Quintero’s will hang on the wall at the Haven of Hope. Kay and John will continue to work on the ministerial side.