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Fun Family Recipes from the P127 Team

7/17/2020

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Janet’s Easy Chicken Enchilada Casserole

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Watch Janet make her casserole on her Cooking with Kids page!
  • 2 cans mild red enchilada sauce
  • 16 oz. sour cream
  • 2 cups cooked chicken (can use canned chicken)
  • 1 ½ cups Cheddar Cheese, shredded
  • 12 to 14 corn tortillas
Mix enchilada sauce, sour cream, 1 cup shredded cheese and chicken. Let kids cut or tear tortillas into bite-size pieces. (Not too small). Add tortillas into enchilada mixture and mix well. Pour mixture into a lightly greased casserole. Cover. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes. Remove cover and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Bake until the cheese melts.

Bill’s Homemade Ice Cream (Shelly’s dad’s recipe)

  • 6 cups milk
  • 9 beaten egg yolks
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 4 ½ tsp vanilla 
  • ⅜ tsp salt
  • 3 cups half and half
Combine milk, egg yolks, salt and sugar. Cook slowly over double boiler until mixture thickens (about 30 mins). Cool and add remaining ingredients. Chill for 2 hours. Churn according to your ice cream maker’s instructions. Makes 1 gallon.

"We loved it when my dad came back from the store with chocolate milk for this!" - Shelly

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Mental Health Check-in

7/8/2020

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The impact of COVID-19 continues to present new challenges for foster children and families experiencing the child welfare system. For children who have endured trauma, building and maintaining a structured environment they can count on is hard fought work by foster parents. The pandemic has resurfaced or exacerbated feelings of powerlessness and uncertainty with foster children already in an unfathomable situation. Now that we are several months into navigating a world turned upside down, take a moment to use the questions below to check in with yourself and the foster or adoptive family you support  to encourage good mental, spiritual and emotional health. 
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What am I grateful for? The practice of gratitude is a powerful tool in finding joy even in the most difficult circumstances. Take a few minutes at the beginning of every day to list three things you are thankful for. This practice postures you to start the day with a glad heart.

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Moving Past Grief to Love Children in Need

6/29/2020

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​Melinda, Sean, Phoenix & Adaira at Brec’s adoption
With French Onion Dip Sandwich fixings in the crockpot, Melinda Coburn took her two daughters to swimming lessons. After lessons, Melinda checked her phone and discovered 15 messages from her husband, Sean. “The county would like to place a baby boy with us tonight.” Arriving home, the girls, Phoenix and Adaira, picked out some favorite toys and blankets to share with the baby before stationing themselves at the front window, eagerly watching for the arrival of Baby Brec.

​Baby Brec’s arrival was one of many “wild nesting stories” as Melinda describes the often-rushed process of preparing for a new foster child’s arrival. Placement prep pros, Melinda and Sean have fostered 14 children, supporting reunification, providing respite and adopting Adaira and Baby Brec.

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Celebrating Fathers and Father Figures

6/15/2020

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In the spirit of Father’s Day, let’s celebrate and encourage the fathers and father figures who serve their families, children and community. These men can be powerful examples of respect, kindness and love to children coming into care. Sadly, many of these children come from homes where neglect and violence was experienced on a regular basis. Instead of a foundation built on a father’s love, there was neglect, fear or harshness. As a result, foster dads, granddads and uncles may be the first positive male role model a child experiences. Below are some suggestions for recognizing the important role of these men in helping  children normalize healthy patterns of love and stability in their lives.

Be a positive role model: Children will be watching you, looking to compare and contrast their new relationships with former ones. This provides an opportunity to help them learn how a loving and caring male lives and serves others. Setting positive examples in relationships, communication, managing work, implementing respectful discipline and following through on commitments are a few examples of useful life skills to model for children.

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A Different Kind of Summer

5/20/2020

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​This time of year, families are usually registering for summer camps and checking community activity calendars  with great excitement, looking forward to the Summer months ahead. This year, the impact of COVID-19 means  Summer will look different.  As families continue making the necessary adjustments there are still many opportunities  to creatively engage kids in ways that bring  joy and fun. Below are some suggestions that will  keep kids busy, create happy memories  and build strong connections, all of which are vital in developing healthy, resilient families.

Porch drop offs:  Kids love surprise gifts!  Porch drop offs  can be a great way to bring the fun and a change of pace. Create a bag of items like coloring sheets or puzzle books,  sensory objects, water toys, summer treats and an age-appropriate craft project. Consider porch swapping puzzles, games and toys between households as you feel comfortable.

Cupcake Wars: Have one or more families set up a place where kids can get messy and host a virtual baking party. Drop off  vanilla frosting, decorating supplies and cupcake batter. Have  each kid use two ingredients from the pantry to create personalized  flavors. (For younger kids,  pre-make different flavors of cupcakes and frosting.) Let kids be as creative as their hearts’ desire with fondant, candy toppings, melted chocolate, cookies, and piping bags full of fun colors. Designate a judge to determine the winner of the decorating competition, have kids share about their personalized flavors,  and enjoy the yummy results together.

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Poppy's Parade

4/28/2020

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After their son, Brooks, was born, Bradley and Deanna battled secondary infertility, struggling with inherent grief and loss. After weighing the options, foster care seemed like the right option for their family. The Hamiltons knew there were kids in the community who needed the love and care of a family. One of Deanna’s best friends, Charissa, was a foster parent, so the Hamiltons understood the possibility for more loss and grief and decided caring for a child was worth the risk.

Soon after signing up for Project 1.27 training, Hamilton's friend and tenant, Ingrid,  shared that she would be providing kinship care for a baby girl. When Ingrid struggled with finding appropriate childcare, Deanna volunteered and the family developed a close, loving relationship with little Poppy.  Five months later, when the Hamilton’s were certified, Poppy was officially placed in their home. During those five months, Deanna and Bradley got to know some of Poppy’s biological family who agreed the Hamilton’s would be a great adoptive family for Poppy.

As foster parents, Deanna and Bradley came to understand the layers of beauty in foster care and developed a personal understanding of how beautiful reunification can be. Unfortunately, for Poppy, this could not be done safely. Deanna shared that  Poppy’s mom continues to be at the forefront of her prayers. 


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5 Ways Churches are Serving Families in Crisis

4/28/2020

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Project 1.27 staff talked to three churches about how they are supporting families in crisis. Thank you to Denver United Church, The Rock Church in Castle Rock and Colorado Community Church in Aurora for sharing these ideas.
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A Meal Train 
Churches in the area are organizing meals for families in need. Some churches provide funds for groceries, others offer to make the meals. The meals are gathered and volunteers distribute the meals  to families on designated days. 

​Care Packages 

Collaborate as a congregation and create small care packages to send  families during this crisis.  This is a simple but powerful way to get the congregation involved and show love for families.  

Emergency Food Pantries
While churches remain closed on Sunday mornings, the building and people resources are still available.  Ask the congregation to drive by and drop off pantry donations which other volunteers can organize for distribution.  Then invite families in the community to drive by while volunteers load trunks with food and essentials  

​Zoom Support Groups 
Zoom provides the gift of staying connected during isolation.  Offer  a variety of zoom gatherings and support groups throughout the week to support families.   Churches are able to tailor the content to address the various needs of the community and congregation.  
This is a great way to offer encouragement and support.

Personal Follow Up 
While there are many things churches can do in this crisis, sometimes there is nothing better than a good old-fashioned phone call or hand written note.
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Here are some additional ideas shared by Denver United Church >
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​Trauma, Grief, and Loss: A Refresher for a Time of Crisis

4/27/2020

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During Support Team Training, you may recall learning about the many traumas foster children experience and the resulting impact of grief and loss. As children go through the process of resolving their experiences, it is not uncommon for a new traumatic event like the fallout of COVID-19 to re-start the cycle. Foster parents work tremendously hard to create a sense of stability and safety, which for many kids was upended overnight by this pandemic. In a time where children are being asked to shoulder many changes and uncertainties in their daily routine, psychological and emotional distress may resurface. Below is a refresher on each stage of grief, how this global crisis may be affecting a child impacted by foster care, and some helpful tips on how to walk alongside a foster child navigating new losses.

Denial: It can be difficult to help children understand what is going during this pandemic. Children may feel that this viral threat does not affect them and they can still have visits with family, play dates with friends, and continue going to school. Since things changed so dramatically over spring break, children may have thought of the first weeks as an extended vacation and expected to quickly return to normal.



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Who is my neighbor in kinship care?

3/27/2020

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Highschool sweethearts, Chris and Sharon, had a heart for foster care and adoption. With two young children at home, the first time they were approached by Chris’s co-worker about caring for her granddaughter, the timing just wasn’t right. Chris’s coworker had a daughter, a homeless teen, living on the streets, dealing with addiction. This daughter had a little girl named “R”. R moved from relative to relative before being placed with a foster family. In 2014, Chris’s co-worker, R’s grandma, asked again, “Would you and Sharon provide kinship care for R? Would you adopt her?”
Most often, kinship care involves a child being placed with a relative – grandma, auntie, uncle or cousin – but sometimes a friend, coach, coworker, teacher or neighbor who has established a relationship with the child is asked to step up. Unlike foster parents, kinship providers welcome a child with little notice, little preparation, little support and a host of complex relationships to navigate. That’s why Project 1.27’s Kinship Care program in Mesa County is so important.

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Mindfulness in Foster Care

3/17/2020

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Foster care and adoption is a rewarding journey that requires a lot of planning and energy to manage day-to-day needs. Families are doing everything from managing appointments, school activities, and therapies to family commitments, crisis management and re-certification requirements. It can be difficult to find a moment to pause and rest, especially when rest matters the most.
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