Maple House

[BWI Admin]

Welcome to Maple House!
Activity & Community
Run by Karin Rubio and Gabriel Rubio
House Pet: chocolate lab named Dash

The staff and residents of Maple House believe that life's greatest joys are often shared. Here, staff place a strong emphasis on teamwork, cooperation, and community involvement, encouraging youngsters to build friendships, support one another, and discover the value of working toward common goals. Whether participating in organized sports, helping to plan a community event, or simply enjoying a picnic with friends, residents are taught that every individual has something meaningful to contribute.

As with the other homes in the Orphan Village, screentime is strictly limited to encourage face-to-face interaction and active participation in daily life. Instead, children and adolescents living in Maple House are often found organizing games on the sports field, shooting hoops on the basketball court, sharing meals beneath the picnic shelter, or cheering one another on during friendly competitions. At Maple House, staff and residents become a family that celebrates cooperation, inclusion, and the understanding that lasting memories are often made when people come together.

Outdoor Areas

• Basketball court
• Multi-use sports field
• Sand volleyball court
• Bicycle pavilion and repair station
• Covered picnic shelter with grills
• Large event lawn for festivals and outdoor activities
• Small skate or scooter area
• Patio with outdoor tables and seating

Indoor Areas

• Large communal dining room with seating for the entire household and guests
• Oversized family kitchen designed for cooking and baking together
• Spacious great room with multiple conversation areas and comfortable seating
• Dedicated game room with board games, card tables, and tabletop games
• Large recreation room for indoor group activities and celebrations
• Media room for supervised movie nights and community events
• Party and event supply storage for seasonal decorations and house celebrations
• Community planning room for organizing outings, tournaments, and special events
• Music room with instruments suitable for group performances and sing-alongs
• Open hobby room where residents can pursue shared interests together
• Indoor lounge with café-style tables for conversation and socializing
• Snack and beverage station adjacent to the common areas
• Homework room with large collaborative tables for studying together
• Indoor bicycle storage and maintenance corner connected to the repair pavilion
• Generous mudroom with cubbies for sports equipment, helmets, and outdoor gear
• Large pantry capable of supporting community cookouts and events
• Flexible meeting room for house gatherings, resident councils, and celebrations
• Display wall featuring photos from house events, tournaments, and group activities
• Staff office overlooking the primary common spaces for easy supervision
• Covered indoor-outdoor sunroom that opens onto the patio for seamless entertaining and family gatherings

[BWI Admin]

Orphan Village Rules

• Treat all residents, staff members, and visitors with courtesy and respect.
• Follow instructions given by staff promptly and without argument.
• Attend school, complete assigned work, and make an honest effort in your education.
• Participate in household chores and responsibilities appropriate to your age and abilities.
• Respect the privacy, personal belongings, and personal space of others.
• Help keep bedrooms, bathrooms, and common areas clean, tidy, and safe for everyone.
• Use appropriate language and behavior at all times. Bullying, intimidation, and deliberate cruelty will not be tolerated.
• Be truthful with staff and accept responsibility for your actions and choices.
• Remain within approved areas of the Orphan Village and obtain permission before leaving designated boundaries or activities.
• Take reasonable care of house property, shared resources, and recreational equipment.
• Participate in household routines, including meals, meetings, and scheduled activities, unless excused by staff.
• Keep your hands and feet to yourself. Physical aggression, unwanted contact, and throwing objects at others are not permitted.
• The possession or use of tobacco products, nicotine products, alcohol, illegal drugs, or unauthorized substances is strictly prohibited.
• Contribute to making the house a safe, welcoming, and supportive home for everyone who lives there.

Maple House Rules

• Residents are expected to actively participate in the life of the household and contribute to a positive sense of community.
• Everyone is encouraged to join group games, activities, celebrations, and special events whenever possible.
• Good sportsmanship is expected at all times. Winning should never come at the expense of kindness, honesty, or respect for others.
• Residents should make an effort to welcome newcomers and ensure that no one feels excluded from house activities.
• Shared spaces should be left clean and ready for the next person or group to enjoy.
• Residents are encouraged to resolve disagreements through respectful discussion, cooperation, and compromise before conflicts escalate.
• Sports equipment, bicycles, games, and other shared recreational resources must be treated with care and returned to their proper places after use.
• Every resident is expected to contribute to the planning, preparation, or cleanup of community events and celebrations when assigned by staff.
• Friendly competition is encouraged, but teasing, poor sportsmanship, or intentionally excluding others from activities is not acceptable.
• Residents are encouraged to build friendships across age groups and help create an environment where everyone feels like part of the Maple House family.

[BWI Admin]

Heads of House

• Karin Rubio
  • sunshine in sneakers and blue jeans
  • guaranteed gets up earlier than you do
  • accepts you without question
  • finds ways to love you because of your flaws
  • looks for all the things you're doing right in any given situation
  • really doesn't want to see you cry
  • actually doesn't always know what to do when you do cry
  • smiles through her own tears
  • also will probably cry because you're crying
  • goes out of her way to be involved with the community
  • will encourage you to volunteer and get involved too
  • all the maple house kids are "her kids"
  • deeply wants to adopt someday
  • will go out of her way to avoid corporal punishment
  • has no problem making you wait for her husband to get home
  • looks for ways to reconnect after punishment
• Gabriel Rubio
  • the man you look for when something goes wrong
  • has probably already noticed the problem before you did
  • calm when everyone else is panicking
  • believes safety rules exist for a reason
  • not particularly interested in whether you like him
  • doesn't make threats
  • would rather repair something than replace it
  • forgives faster than you'd expect
  • notices when you're struggling long before you admit it
  • terrible at talking about his own feelings
    • surprisingly good at listening to yours
  • fixes things around the house because it bothers him when they're broken
  • checks smoke detectors without being asked
  • can fix almost anything on the grill
  • thinks a long walk fixes more problems than more people realize
  • has little patience for dishonesty
    • has even less for recklessness
  • secretly enjoys being the person children come to for help
  • remembers every emergency call that went sideways
  • fell in love with Karin because she made the world brighter

First Shift Staff

• OPEN
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Second Shift Staff

• OPEN
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Third Shift Staff

• Cassandra Gallaway
  • absolutely effervescent
  • loves like there's no tomorrow
  • zero tolerance for screens, screen time, or screen addiction
  • always dreaming up new ways to have fun
  • knows when to put a stop to the wrong kind of fun
  • doesn't leave a lot of room for questions
  • extremely straightforward, most of the time
  • will call you out on your nonsense in the most loving way possible
  • the first to sit with you when you're recovering from a nightmare
  • genuinely wants to get to know you better
  • willing to lose sleep to make sure she comes to your game
  • always comes to check on you even if you're asleep
  • knows when to apologize and mean it
  • also needs you to apologize and mean it
  • won't stop short of taking you all the way through the emotional journey
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Social Workers

• OPEN therapist
• OPEN case manager
• OPEN adoption specialist

Residents

• Charles Wilson
  • the little ringleader
  • probably somewhere he's not supposed to be
  • or following one of the teenagers around and annoying them
  • would love to know why there aren't more boys here
  • really wants something to eat. right now, please
  • refuses to stay indoors for very long, even in rough weather
  • unless there are video games. he'll stay indoors for video games
  • wishes someone would just be proud of him
  • "knows" he's worthless because that's all he's been told his whole life
  • expects abandonment because it keeps happening to him
  • cannot trust adults because they hurt him every time
  • tries to make you think he doesn't care
    • spoiler alert: he does
  • actually isn't trying to misbehave; he's just impulsive
  • doesn't want to fight, but will if he has to
  • already knows you can't possibly love him, so quit trying a while ago
  • won't believe you if you tell him you do love him
    • he's heard that song and dance before
    • grownups lie. it's what they do
• Mariposa Flores, Age 16
  • seriously ready for a new adventure
  • loves a lot harder than she'll ever let on
  • you'll spend a long time earning her trust, but she's worth it
  • as true a friend as you'll ever have, but the feeling isn't mutual
  • knows how to listen without interrupting and supplying her own thoughts
  • can't stop herself from doing things she knows she shouldn't
  • won't go down without a fight
  • wants you to love her, but doesn't think she's lovable
  • blames you for things other people did to her
  • never stops running from what scares her
  • has nowhere left to run to, but needs somewhere
    • ...or someone
  • a little bit boy crazy, if we're being honest
  • unfamiliar with corporal punishment and not ready for it
  • not actually trying to make you mad
    • ...really, though
  • needs you to come after her for aftercare
    • she won't seek you out!
    • and might actually avoid you
• OPEN
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