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How foster care reshaped the Cohicks—and formed a next-generation calling in their daughter.  When Craig and Afton Cohick opened their home to foster care a little over two years ago, they expected bottles, nap schedules, and caseworker visits. What they didn’t expect was how deeply the journey would reshape their outlook—and their children’s. “Before foster care, we didn’t realize how many children were out there who needed care—or how much support the parents themselves need,” Afton reflects. Their guiding conviction is simple and counter-cultural: love the child fully and honor the child’s family by welcoming them into the circle of care.  Their 17-year-old daughter, Aniyha, describes the shift with striking clarity. She once felt “comfortable,” even a bit sheltered, but meeting children who hadn’t had the same opportunities “opened our eyes and our hearts.” Her advice to other teens whose parents are considering fostering is honest: be brave enough to care, even when caring might hurt. “You have to be willing to put your heart out there—and be willing to get your heart broken,” she says. “The ache is real, but there is a lot of beauty in it as well.” That beauty shows up in milestones: first smiles, first steps, and first words. The Cohicks talk about the joy of watching babies thrive, but they also recognize that every child’s story begins long before their home. For them, loving a child means honoring that story and the parents who are part of it.  The Cohicks see foster care as a ministry of restoration—loving children while walking alongside the parents working to bring them home. They babysit when asked, offer encouragement to parents pursuing sobriety and stability, and celebrate each step toward reunification. “If we can step in and say, ‘We’re a friend—we’re here to help in any way we can,’ we will,” Afton says. For them, involvement with parents isn’t an add-on; it’s part of loving the child well.
To honor those parents even in their absence, the family assembles “memory boxes”—photos, keepsakes of their firsts, a tiny hospital cap, and notes to mom. The keepsakes travel with the child and preserve every parent’s place in the story. While many children in their care return home, not every story ends in reunification. Some journeys take a different path, but the Cohicks believe every child deserves lasting love and stability, whatever form it takes. That’s where Dexter, the baby they adopted, comes in. His presence, Aniyha says, is “a forever impact.” She jokes that the family would “keep them all” if they could, but they also celebrate reunifications and keep cheering for biological families from the sidelines. Asked whether she’d foster one day, Aniyha doesn’t hesitate. “I think I will be a foster parent when I’m older, because I just feel like it’s a path that I’m meant to be on,” she says. She wants to give back, to love deeply, and, if necessary, “let her heart break a little to help others.” Why this matters for all of us The Cohicks’ story reminds us that foster care is ordinary and holy. It’s bedtime, bottles, paperwork, courage, humility, and hope stitched together by the community. There is a profound need across all ages, from infants to teens. Consider this your nudge if you’ve wondered whether your family, small group, or church could play a part. Take the next step with Project 1.27
By Janet Rowland, Delta County Manager
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 Pure Religion Sunday is November 9, 2025, a Sunday to reflect God’s heart for the orphaned and vulnerable.
So what exactly is Pure Religion Sunday? Rooted in James 1:27 and reflected throughout all of Scripture, this special day encourages your church to engage deeply in adoption, foster care, global orphan care, and wrap-around family support, central to living as disciples of Christ. Join churches in over 120 countries that have witnessed the transformative power of this day to catalyze action and celebrate all that God is doing in their communities on behalf of vulnerable children and families. Good to know: At Project 1.27, we are flexible on the date. If November 9 doesn’t work for you, we can help you host another Sunday event. What do we do on this Sunday? You can tailor the day to meet the needs of your congregation. Here are some ideas others have had over the years:
We can help with any of these ideas, and more! Visit our Pure Religion Sunday page to contact us or download resources. You can also learn more on CAFO's Pure Religion Sunday website: https://cafo.org/purereligion/pure-religion-sunday/#overview By Alex Kuykendall, Director of Community Engagement  Project 1.27's vision is to have "every child in a nurturing, well-supported Family." We are constantly striving to support and meet the needs of our Foster, Kinship, and Adoptive Homes. Our Mentoring Program is designed to provide the peer-to-peer contact and support that many of our families have sought.
Liz and her family have applied to be Foster Parent Mentors, and when asked why she is interested, she said: "This is a lot of what our family sees as our mission - to live out what a foster/adopt family looks like, both the highlights and the dark moments, in relationship with others. We're honest about the hard stuff, we have a lot of connections for resources in our community, and we know it's messy. We also know that having fun, connecting, and caring for ourselves and the family is important. I think all of this makes walking into a relationship with a new foster family a meaningful relationship." We believe that experienced Foster Parents have a wealth of knowledge and experience that can fill in the gaps of new or struggling Kinship or Foster Homes. They can provide community resources, meals, wisdom, compassion, understanding, and more. Liz believes she has had a tremendous amount of support and positive experiences she can draw upon to help others, such as: "An amazing community of support around us! God's constant love and provision, quality teachers/professionals/caring adults in our kids' lives, a church community that supports us immensely, learning to slow down and allow things to take place in their own time, learning each child for their own unique strengths and challenges, getting creative about how to connect with each kid and building a relationship with them, asking for help when we need it." The program asks for a six-month commitment from both Mentors and Mentees. Who knows, possibly those six months will become a friendship lasting throughout your Foster care journey and beyond! We are looking for people who would like to have a Mentor or know someone who may need one. Please use the Foster Parent Mentor Program Page link to sign up today! We will carefully match you and your family to one of our trained and qualified Mentors. https://www.project127.org/mentor.html By Lisa Marr, Family Connections Manager  Every September, Kinship Care Awareness Month brings attention to the growing number of families stepping up to raise children when parents cannot. Across the country, thousands of grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, teachers, and even coaches take on the responsibility of raising children in what is called kinship foster care.
John and Kimber are one such couple, grandparents who stepped up to care for three grandchildren after their daughter’s situation spiraled out of control. “The reason we got involved is we feared so much for the kids… we’ve always been a tight family,” said John. “Number one, they’re our grandkids and we love them.” When a child cannot safely stay with parents, DHS tries to find a kinship alternative first. Research suggests that kinship foster care offers several unique advantages over non‑kin foster care, especially regarding behavioral health, placement stability, maintaining family and cultural ties, and overall well‑being, provided the kin placement is safe and supported. For the first time, more children in Colorado foster care are in a kinship placement than a traditional foster placement, and the state hopes to see that number continue to increase. However, many kinship families struggle to find and access the support they need. Like many kinship caregivers, John and Kimber were unprepared for the realities of full-time parenting years after raising their children. They found themselves navigating school enrollments, medical care, and emotional trauma on their own. “Before we joined the Family Compass, we had no resources and no help whatsoever,” said John. “We did everything on our own.” John and Kimber were able to get involved with Project 1.27’s Hope Forti and the “Family Compass” she was creating in Colorado Springs. The Compass offers personalized navigation for overwhelmed kinship and foster families, making accessing nonprofit and clinical support tailored to their unique family needs easier. Most importantly, the Compass connects kinship families with others living the same, unexpected life. Hope first met John and Kimber at a Kinship Support Group in her home. “We were very nervous going into that first support group,” Kimber admitted. “But we realized we needed help. We felt very good when we left, and the kids had a blast running around the yard.” The program connected them to resources, a support group, therapy for the kids, and even caregiver counseling for Kimber herself. The Compass also introduced Project 1.27’s Neighbor Program, which Hope Forti also started. A volunteer “Neighbor” supports kinship, foster, and adoptive families in this program by bringing a monthly meal. John and Kimber’s Neighbor is Janet, and she began visiting regularly, bringing meals, offering friendship, and emotional support. “She brings great meals and desserts… she loves the children and they love her, too. She came to visit me in the hospital when I had surgery. She’s very sweet,” said Kimber. Thanks to the help of Cobbled Streets, another organization involved in the Family Compass, the family could take their grandkids on a dream trip to Florida, a rare and joyful moment for a family that had endured so much. “They helped us with plane tickets to take all three grandkids to Florida. To the beach, see their cousins, and theme parks,” John explained. They also received emergency support from Foster Source. “We were struggling with money and food, and it was such a huge help when they brought us gift cards to Walmart to buy clothes and food for the kids,” Kimber recalled. John recalls, “When we joined the Family Compass, it was like opening our eyes to everything, to all the other things that were possible for us to do with the kids, to have support, and it was eye-opening that there were so many other people, and especially other grandparents, who were out there having to raise their grandchildren.” Kinship families have high needs and Project 1.27 is glad to collaborate with other organizations to meet those needs. By Jenny Watson, Director of Communication and Development  Earlier this year, I had the privilege of speaking at HeartLed Transition, a local ministry dedicated to encouraging and equipping women in every season of life. Jaquetta Anderson, the group’s founder and leader, had a vision: spotlight Denver ministries that make a meaningful difference, where women can see God at work and find a place to serve with passion and purpose.
That morning, a woman named Elyssa heard about Project 1.27’s Trauma-Informed Training for church staff and volunteers, and she immediately thought of her home church. She connected me with the Children’s Director at New Hope Ministries of Greater Denver, Justina Gallargo, and by May, Project 1.27 was holding a trauma-informed training session for 12 of New Hope’s incredible staff and volunteers. But it didn’t stop there. Following that training, one of the participants, Mariah Garcia, introduced me to Colorado Uplift, a nonprofit that mentors and teaches youth in Denver Public Schools. In July, 42 of Colorado Uplift’s staff and volunteers were trained. What started as one simple invitation in January has led to over 50 people being trained in trauma-informed care. Project 1.27’s Trauma-Informed Training doesn’t just share the science of brain development and neuroplasticity; participants are also equipped with a practical “Connection Toolbox,” so volunteers have actionable strategies to help children feel safe and supported. By Kym Schnittker, Community Engagement and Events Manager  At just 19 years old, Thomas Watson has said more goodbyes than most people do in their whole lives.
As the biological son of a foster and adoptive family, Thomas has watched eight children come through his home over the years. Thomas was only seven when Joshua came. Joshua never left and was eventually adopted after three years in foster care. When Thomas was 11, a sibling set of three young children spent a year with the Watsons. He still sees them often and knows they are doing well with their biological mother. At 16, a sibling set of 4 lived with Thomas and his family for two years, eventually reuniting with their biological father. Thomas has never heard from them again. "It's devastating not knowing how they're doing. Having four people be your brothers and sisters for that long, and being unable to see or talk to them anymore, having them cut out of your life." The heartbreak he's experienced could have made Thomas walk away from foster care forever, but instead, it's led him to give. Now a monthly donor to Project 1.27, Thomas wants to help other foster families. "I've had firsthand experience with how flawed our foster care system is," he explains. "And I know foster families need as much support and guidance as possible. I know how hard it is for the family to say goodbye. I know how hard it is for the kids never to have a stable situation, and live their whole lives seeing their loved ones ripped from them. And I understand how hard it is for the parent who had their children taken from them, and has to earn their right to parent again." As a full-time college student juggling a full-time job, Thomas chose to automate his donation. “By giving monthly, I can give consistently and I don't have to rely on my memory to be generous." When asked what he'd say to someone thinking about donating, Thomas doesn't hesitate: "Whether you have any experience with foster care or have simply heard about all the faults, Project 1.27 is making real changes. They're supporting foster families and nurturing foster children. More than anything, I want to support the cause of protecting these children's hearts. So they can grow up with the same joy and love God designed all children to carry." By Jenny Watson, Director of Communication and Development  Fostering children has been one of the greatest honors of my life. It’s a calling filled with joy, heartbreak, growth, and, at times, deep surrender. Over the years, I’ve said goodbye to many children who’ve passed through my home. Each farewell holds a different kind of weight. Some are bittersweet. Some are heart-wrenching. But many are joy-filled because they mark the beautiful journey of reunification.
Reunification is the goal of foster care. It’s what we hope for when a child is first placed in our home—that the family they came from can heal, grow, and become a safe and loving place for them to return to. And when that happens, when the reason for removal has been corrected or significantly improved, we celebrate—not because it’s easy to let go, but because restoration is always worth rejoicing. Still, we know reunification doesn’t mean things will be perfect. Life rarely is. But we believe in a God writing each child’s story with love and purpose. Even when we don’t understand the whole picture or the battles behind the scenes, we trust He sees. And we trust that we were faithful for the season we were entrusted with this child. Faithful to love. Faithful to nurture. Faithful to create space for healing. As foster parents, we glimpse Christ’s love for the child and their family. Our role is not to judge or to hold on tightly but to open our hearts and homes, to stand in the gap, and to reflect grace. If we’ve done our job well, we’ve not only impacted a child's life but also touched the hearts of families, reminding them that redemption is possible and change is worth fighting for. We may not always see the fruit immediately, but we plant seeds of hope and trust God with the harvest. When reunification happens, we cheer through tears, knowing we’ve been a part of something holy. Because every child deserves a story that includes healing—and sometimes, that story brings them home By Lisa McGinnett, Western Slope Director  In our Neighbor Program, we say, “You can’t fix everything, but you can fix dinner.” Sometimes, the world of foster care and adoption can feel overwhelming. Problems seem insurmountable. Yet, we can fix dinner. Families with additional kids in their homes have to come up with three meals a day, every single day. It can be an overwhelming task.
This is where you come in. What if you were able to prepare and deliver a meal to the same family on a regular basis? Sound complicated? It doesn’t have to be. Here are a few tricks I use when making and delivering a meal for another family that simplify the process for everyone: Proper containers: What's important when it comes to the containers you use to deliver food? If you don’t want the family to worry about getting dishes back to you, use disposable containers. You can buy them in bulk at Costco, Sam’s Club, or individually at the Dollar Tree. Or transfer containers when you get there. I often bring soup in my stockpot and pour it into theirs before I leave. Or have a system where you pick up the previous month’s dishes when you drop off your next meal. The last thing I want to do is add more stress to the family by having them consider how to get containers back to me. Have go-to recipes: There is a time-management term called “decide once”, you find something that works, and you stick with it. This might mean always bringing the same thing, or if that’s too mundane, one of three standard recipes. When you have your faithful standbys, you know the ingredients at the grocery store so you can always make them quickly if needed. If you prepare meals regularly for the same family, you might also find out what they like. When you find a winner, stick with it in the rotation. It doesn’t have to be dinner: Though dinner is the most substantial meal for many families and therefore the most helpful to receive, it’s not always what’s needed most. I delivered an Easter brunch on Easter morning when I knew the parents in the home could not manage to pull that together. Consider the family you are serving, what are their needs? Maybe it is frozen egg bites that can provide breakfast for a week. Or snacks if someone is spending a lot of time at appointments. Perhaps it’s lunch after church or a gift card to a lunch OUT after church. Listen to the family’s pain points and decide what relieves the most stress for those you care for. Provide a fun surprise: When there are kids in the house, I like to add a little surprise. This could be part of the meal, like a special drink, dessert, or seasonal napkins. It could also be something to entertain them while caregivers are cleaning up after the meal. I stock up at the Dollar Tree on things like stickers, crayons, or puzzles, so I can add a couple of things to the delivery that will delight the kids in the home. If you want to be matched with a foster or adoptive family to provide meals regularly, learn more about our Neighbor Program here or email Jackie Hall with questions at [email protected]. By Alex Kuykendall, Director of Community Engagement  It’s July! Time for swimming, staying up late, and making s’mores! How is it time to be thinking about going back to school already?! We know districts across Colorado start at different times, and for many kids, a month from now, they will be putting on their backpacks and walking out the door. As caregivers, we can do some things between now and the first day of school that will ensure our future selves will thank us.
Communicate with school staff: Of course, there is the classroom teacher. There is also the school counselor, nurse, dean, and bus driver! There are so many adults that your child could interact with. Do you need to have meds dispensed? Now is the time to consider how that will look, what is required, and who must be part of it. You may need to schedule a doctor’s visit to complete necessary forms. Does your child have some learning needs the teacher(s) should know about? Again, what’s your communication plan around that? Teachers may not be in the building yet, but they will soon. Now is the time to consider what needs to be communicated ahead of the start of school. Set your family up for success: When school starts, the family schedule often changes in more ways than one. School hours and classwork don’t happen during the summer months. There are usually activities that run primarily during the school year. Both of these things impact mealtimes and bedtimes. Look at all your commitments on one big calendar (Google Calendar is great for this) and determine where adjustments must be made ahead of time. Driving and dinner are significant factors. Regular appointments like therapy, visitations, and basic needs like sleep are also included. Put your must-dos on the calendar first and determine what is extra and can be removed. Don’t forget that activities or quiet time that you need to feel replenished are also necessary. You can block off hours or even days to be free and unscheduled. Again, your school year self will thank you for saying “no” to one more team or commitment now. Rally the troops: Once you’ve reviewed your schedule and determined the pain points, decide who can help with specific tasks. Could your neighbor cover you to and from school two days a week? Could your sister drive to gymnastics on Thursdays? Could you sign up through the Neighbor Program to receive a meal once a month? And could your church community offer you a break by providing childcare? Identifying where you need help is the first step, who might be able to offer it is the next. People around you love you and likely want to provide practical support. They may not know what you need. Putting out a list of potential tasks to those who have offered may give friends and family options where they feel they best fit. Not everyone wants to make dinner or teach a teenager to drive, but someone might. Articulating your specific needs will help you make that match. July is the perfect time to start planning for August. Get ahead of your family’s needs now so that back-to-school is as smooth as it can be—or at least a little bit smoother. By Alex Kuykendall, Director of Community Engagement  "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." James 1.27 NIV
James 1:27 and the Great Commandments This year, Project 1.27 is again focusing on our foundational verse, James 1:27. The more I’ve studied, the more I see how James 1:27 is a full circle reflection of Jesus' words in Mark 12. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength. The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. Pure and Faultless Religion The word religion used in James 1:27 is talking about a deep faith in Christ that moves believers to a life of worship that harmonizes service of the lips with service of life. As believers seek to love God with all our heart, soul, mind and strength, we grow in our understanding of who God is and our lives overflow in worship that is service of the lips - praising God, thanking God, sharing His Word and testifying of his work in our lives. Our service of words reflects Christ to those around us. Look After Orphans and Widows in Distress Reflecting Christ goes beyond words to the service of life. Reflecting Christ’s love involves close proximity to people in distress. Pure religion is not just about meeting needs, it involves demonstrating God’s love in ways that draw other people to Him. Pure religion reflects hesed love. Hesed describes love that pursues proximity, gives sacrificially, and wraps up all of God’s attributes including lovingkindness, mercy, grace and faithfulness. In James 1:27, Paul calls believers to “look after orphans and widows” as an example of caring for vulnerable people who need the hope and healing hesed love can bring. Our service of life reflects Christ to those around us. Keep Oneself from Being Polluted by the World Sometimes believers read this as avoiding all exposure to evil and sin. Certainly believers should flee from sin, but that doesn’t mean avoiding the messy, painfilled situations that are a result of sin. Pure and faultless religion involves allowing God to purify us into a more accurate reflection of Christ as we fling ourselves into sin’s mess to care for another person. God’s purifying work in messy, painfilled situations reflects Christ to those around us. Pure Faith Project 1.27 offers Faith Class as part of our precertification training for foster and adoptive parents. We focus on scriptures like Hebrews 11, “Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.” The goal is to encourage future foster and adoptive parents to consider every fear they have around serving in foster care through the lens of God’s presence. We talk about preparing to serve in foster care through immersion in God’s Word, prayer, a supportive community of believers and other spiritual practices. Future foster and adoptive parents are encouraged to follow David’s example of living out their faith by “running towards the battle.” Over and over, I’ve been blessed to hear stories of how faith in Christ has sustained parents as they walk beside a child struggling with dangerous behaviors, profound grief, and the heart-breaking impact of physical and emotional neglect and abuse. Looking after kids in foster care deepens our faith in ways that reflect Christ to those around us. Pure Faith: Reflecting Christ. Caring for Kids. Faith is further purified as Christian foster and adoptive parents experience God’s faithfulness in the midst of the messy, seemingly impossible challenges experienced while caring for kids involved in foster care. Re-examine James 1:27 within your church community. Let’s challenge each other to a pure faith that reflects Christ and cares for vulnerable people, including kids in foster care. Pure faith will have a ripple effect in our communities, alleviating suffering, rebuilding lives, building trust, offering hope and bringing the light of God’s love into the dark places. Pure faith reflects Christ to those around us. Project 1.27 Staff is available to share about Pure Faith and topics around kinship, foster care and adoption in your church, community or support group. Topics Include
Email [email protected] for more information. By Shelly Radic, Executive Director |
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Project 1.27 • 14000 E. Jewell Ave. • Aurora, CO 80012
EIN 26-3341511
Copyright Project 1.27 • All Rights Reserved
EIN 26-3341511
Copyright Project 1.27 • All Rights Reserved