April is Child Abuse Prevention Month, and Project 1.27 is joining the pinwheel campaign along with hundreds of other organizations, churches, and government agencies to plant or display pinwheels in remembrance of abused and neglected children.
In 2008, Prevent Child Abuse America introduced the pinwheel as the new national symbol for child abuse prevention through Pinwheels for Prevention®. Research has shown that people respond to the pinwheel. By its very nature, the blue pinwheel signifies whimsy and childlike notions. Planting a pinwheel represents the bright childhoods we all want for children (Prevent Child Abuse America). The Pinwheels for Prevention® campaign allows individuals and organizations to learn more about prevention, support children and families, and volunteer for “family strengthening” programs. Child abuse is a community concern, and it takes a community to work together to help families thrive and prevent child abuse and neglect. During April and throughout the year, communities are encouraged to increase awareness about child and family well-being and work together to implement helpful strategies that support families and prevent child abuse and neglect. Project 1.27’s vision is “every child in a nurturing, well-supported family.” Our programs provide encouragement, support, and relationships to strengthen families and promote positive childhood experiences. Promoting positive family relationships helps build safe and nurturing homes for children. Support and Relationships are the heart of Project 1.27. How can you help? You can volunteer for one of the programs at Project 1.27, bring a meal to a struggling family, or volunteer with other agencies working to prevent child abuse and neglect. You can purchase a pinwheel or pinwheels and display them in your yard, church, or school, in the background of your virtual meetings, or share pinwheels on social media to promote positive families and raise awareness of child abuse prevention. Every year in April, we recognize the importance of families and communities working together to support family well-being and prevent child maltreatment. Please join us in praying for the well-being of children and families in our communities . Children are a gift from the Lord. They are a reward from Him.(NLT) Psalms 127:3 By Bobbi Kline, Grants Manager
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In 2020, my husband and I fell into foster care as a kinship placement. Together with our three biological children, we fell in love with four-month-old "Little Miss" and loved on her for over a year. As a first-time foster family, we got a crash course on the system, on being trauma-informed, and on navigating virtual visits with an infant during Covid. And I'll be honest, I was judgey. I remember thinking, "Why can't her parents just get it together?". I recall the frustration and anger I felt when they would not show for a visit or use the little time they had to criticize me or argue with the caseworker. I subscribed to the narrative that this young mama was unfit to be a mother and looked for evidence to back up my claim. Our community was incredible as we upended our lives for Little Miss. We had meal drop-offs, childcare offers, and help to transport our older kids. We had the emotional support of friends who let us vent and offered up words of affirmation. "Clearly, everyone will see we are the most beneficial place for Little Miss," I thought. "Look at how we juggle all the things," "Look at how safe she is, "and "She's thriving." I am ashamed to admit some of these thoughts now. How was I freely giving my love, time, and prayers to Little Miss, but I couldn't extend that to her parents? Is the whole family not deserving of the love, care, and compassion that Jesus so freely shares with us? Little Miss eventually went home to her mama (after mama jumped through hoop after hoop to show she was fit). Reunification was painful. Little Miss had barely seen her mama without a mask on her face or through a video screen. She went from being fully bonded with us into a new environment where she once again needed to learn to safely attach. Her mama worked hard, too. We wanted to celebrate reunification, but saying goodbye was very difficult. Years later, I ask myself, "What if this all could have been avoided?" While our village showed up in tangible ways, making it possible for us to maintain a healthy family, what could have changed if Little Miss and her mama had that village? What if we had a healthy support system for every struggling family affected by child welfare? What if God wants to use relationships to heal the child welfare system? We have fostered multiple children since Little Miss and have come to a deeper understanding of how trauma impacts the whole family. We believe the only tool effective in long-lasting change is relationships. I honestly didn't empathize or understand the effects of generational trauma, how poverty looks and shapes families, or how it can be confused with neglect. I didn't see how a system set up to keep our kids safe could also do harm and create divides in our relationships and our community. The families of children in foster care are often carrying the burden of mental health struggles, poverty, addiction, and loneliness, to name a few. Many are struggling with a lack of resources to meet their essential needs, like housing, medical care, and childcare. Most have no built-in positive support, and there is no village around them of family and friends to help them navigate this. I now work in family preservation as the FamiliesCare manager in my community. I help families stay safely together by connecting them to a well-trained church group. We prioritize relationships, are trauma-aware, honor a family's strengths and dignity, and draw upon the unconditional love of God for all family members. We know trauma is healed through relationships. What if we can impact whole families just by showing up and being a safe space? I pray God will continue to use relationships to affect change with family preservation and to use the church to step into the gap for whole families. While this ministry is new, it promises to change entire communities. I pray for all the "Littles" and their families in the child welfare system. If your church wants to know more about stepping into the gap, loving on a struggling family, and keeping kids safe, I'd love to connect with you. By Emily Kempton, FamiliesCare Manager Mesa County [email protected] Project 1.27 helps churches and families in Colorado serve children through faith-based family preservation, kinship care, foster care & adoption since 2004. The church is called to preach the Gospel and make disciples. As a pastor, I had to ask myself, “How do those two things go together?” As a FamiliesCare Manager, I regularly meet with pastors, and this is often a question that comes up in our conversations. So, how does serving families and children make disciples and spread the good news of Jesus Christ?
First, when we serve families and children, we demonstrate the Gospel to the people we serve and those around us. The Gospel that Jesus preached while on earth is “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!” (Mark 1.15). In God’s kingdom, the least is the greatest, the last is the first, and the leader is the servant. It is backward compared to what the world offers. When the disciples tried to keep the children away Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14). So if the Gospel is the kingdom of God is near and that kingdom belongs to children, the question we have to ask, as the church, is “are the things we are doing, the things we are investing time, energy and money into, are they helping or hindering the children experience the kingdom of God?”` Serving children who are at risk of being removed from their home or children who have experienced removal gives a glimpse into the kingdom where Jesus will ultimately restore all things. Serving children and families is a great way to make disciples. “A disciple is someone who is learning to live with Jesus and love others like Jesus.” (The Discipleship Gospel Workbook) Jesus demonstrated one of the ways to love people is by serving them. One pastor recently told me, “We want to get out and make a difference in our community; we just don’t know where to start.” Now, this pastor and a group from their church are trained to walk alongside families with children at risk of out-of-home placement. Along with learning the how-to’s of serving as a FamiliesCare team, in their training, they learned about the innate value that all humans have because they are created in God’s image. They knew that past trauma, theirs and the people they serve, does not have to determine their future. God wants to restore and heal our wounds. They learned practical skills in sharing what Jesus has done in their lives within the context of a relationship. Serving families and children is not something we do in addition to preaching and discipling. It is not in conflict with preaching the Gospel and making disciples. It is actually a great place to start. By Brandon Alverson, FamiliesCare Manager Weld County As we enter spring in Colorado (at least we HOPE it's spring), it is an excellent time to check in with those around you to see what kind of support they might need. Are you a friend, neighbor, or family member to someone offering foster care in their home? Here are some suggestions and resources using our 5 senses you could offer or share with those you are championing on their journey! SEE – What places are out there specifically for kids? This website provides a list of places with all the details needed. Check out the link, call a foster family to join you, and head out to SEE the city! https://denver.kidsoutandabout.com/content/free-places-take-kids-and-around-denver HEAR – Check out a local high school musical! Grab some tickets and invite your foster family for a musical theater outing! Here is a link showing what musical you can HEAR at local high schools AND the best link for free and cheap happenings. https://www.milehighonthecheap.com/high-school-theater-colorado/#more-276449 TOUCH – Spring brings a time to get outside and use our bodies to TOUCH the air around us. Here is a link to a program offering free bikes! Use this link to refer a family or kid to receive a bike: https://www.therecyclery.org/our-programs/freecyclery/ SMELL – With the newness of spring comes fresh flowers! Grab a bouquet from Trader Joe's, King Soopers, or Sprouts. Put them on the doorstep of a foster family's home, ring the doorbell, and run! A beautiful SMELL will be left behind, as will some lovely petals. TASTE – Stop by a store to grab a few of these TASTY snack items to drop off at your foster family's home: By Janine Westlund, Family Care Manager
Becoming a foster, kinship, or adoptive family affects every part of your marriage, your life, and the kids you decide to care for. How do you keep your marriage a priority when a crisis is always at your door? It can be hard on both of you as individuals and as a family.
Here are four tips to try with your partner during this month of love!
By Krissie Yamagucchi, ECHOflex Support Manager Eighteen months ago, we got an email we had greatly anticipated. We had just been approved by the Neighbor Program to be matched with a foster family.
Our car pulled out of the driveway one bright sunny August day. It might as well have been the holiday season with the audible merriment and laughter coming from our car as we drove the two miles that separated our home from our matched family’s house. Every hand was full of bags and hot pans as we made our way to an unfamiliar front porch. With smiles, cheer, and laughter, we were instantly friends, and no one knew we were complete strangers only a moment ago. After a short time and before the food got cold, we left empty-handed and returned home with fuller hearts than before. In the Neighbor Program, our main volunteer commitment is to bring the family one meal once a month, for six months. (This is, of course, after we passed a background check and 1-hour training.) We loved that we could add more to this monthly rotation, making it personal to their needs and our abilities. What else did we do with the family? In October, we went trick-or-treating together. In November, we did all their Thanksgiving baking for them. In December, we went to our small-town Christmas parade together, and closer to Christmas, we bought all the kids gift certificates to a local coffee shop and holiday cookies. In February, we dropped off sugar cookies, frosting, and decorations with their meal and did the same for Easter. By this time, we had truly adopted this family. We were far beyond the six-month agreement with the Neighbor Program, and our relationship had become a devoted friendship. Finally, in July, we hosted an un-birthday party for them because we had missed everyone’s birthday that year. Our un-birthday party came with dinner, cake, decorations, and a gift certificate to the local Kids Zone arcade. Sadly for us and happily for the kids in that foster family, it also became our farewell gift because the kids were going back home to their mom. And what did we get from our year together? A lot of laughter, a lot of tears, both happy and sad, lots of photos of the kids enjoying our meals and cookies, and a lot of smiles that I will never forget. They know that although our paths have gone in different directions now, they will never forget that a family still loves them. A little piece of us will always go with them. What are my regrets? Well, I didn’t do everything I had planned for the family. Also, I worry that our paths may not cross again. But one thing is for certain: I have no regrets about giving them my time. By Trudy Wakefield, originally published in The Bloom To become a Neighbor click here or email [email protected] Foster parenting presents a complex set of challenges due to the trauma and neglect children have experienced in their families of origin. Like all parenting, fostering is a deeply rewarding experience and like parenting can be challenging. You put so much energy and love into being a foster parent and providing a stable home you forget about your own needs.
In February, a month when we celebrate love for others, remember it’s important to be proactive in showing love for yourself through self-care. Self-care is essential for anyone balancing parenthood with life’s other demands, it has been shown to lower stress and anxiety while increasing self-compassion. Modeling self-compassion will show your foster or adoptive children how they can best care for themselves. We know it can be hard to fit self-care into an already busy schedule, but it is a healthy and productive habit to build. Part of practicing good self-care is setting boundaries. Be honest with yourself and others about what you can handle and begin turning down opportunities. Saying no begins to set a boundary and others will begin to be respectful of your time. When you begin to say no, you’ll be able to give better attention to the things you want to do and help to eliminate feeling overwhelmed. Self-care isn’t only about your mental health and physical health but involves all areas of your life. Here are a few self-care areas and ideas to begin focusing on. Emotional self-care
Physical self-care
Social self-care
Intellectual self-care
Spiritual self-care
By Marilyn Robinson, Family Care Director Statistics show that 50% of foster families quit after the first year, so what allows one family to continue fostering for more than 20 years? Lisa and Paul McGinnett always knew they would adopt. Early in their marriage, they planned to serve orphaned street children in Bolivia. However, an illness prevented Lisa from living in a developing country. Their pastor then encouraged them to look for ways to serve children in the United States. After trying to conceive for ten years, the McGinnetts began exploring the adoption process, which led them to become foster parents. Over their 22 years as foster parents, the McGinnetts have had over 96 placements, including respite, and have adopted five children. Their oldest adopted child is 22, and their youngest is only 2. Lisa shared, "I would say that we started fostering for one reason but continued for another set of reasons. So many times, I didn't think I could go on fostering because of the heartache and how deeply I loved the children placed with us." She remembers a time when they were fostering a baby boy. The situation allowed them to welcome the boy's mother into their home to spend time with her son while Paul and Lisa supervised. One night, while grilling hamburgers, Lisa looked at her watch and realized they would be late getting the mom back for curfew. Lisa grabbed a quick burger, threw everything in the car, and started backing out of the driveway. Suddenly, the young mom started to cry. "She looked into my eyes and said something that changed my reason and purpose for fostering," Lisa remembers. "She said, 'I have never had anyone ever be so kind to me.' Her words stopped me in my tracks. In my mind, it was JUST a hamburger! But to her, it was kindness." Since that night, Lisa believes God has given her a heart of compassion for the biological families of the children she fosters. The new year is bringing some significant changes to the McGinnetts. After 22 years, they've decided to close their home. They will still welcome back any prior children they've cared for but are no longer looking for any long-term or potential adoptive placements. Lisa shared, "Paul and I have always had an open door policy…but as we age, it becomes harder and harder to commit to raising a young child to adulthood without thinking of our capacity and mortality." Lisa has realized that, for now, her two younger boys need her full time and attention. "But who knows?" Lisa shared, "We may jump back in with older kids in the future." When asked what advice she would give someone interested in becoming a foster parent, Lisa enthusiastically said, "Just do it! Yes, it's hard. Yes, it's challenging, but isn't everything worthwhile?" Lisa and Paul have learned the importance of being committed to the children in their home, recognizing that there will often be reasons to quit. She remembers hearing about a story of a teenager who was about to age out of the foster care system. "He was asked what he would tell foster parents," Lisa said. "He said that he wishes foster parents knew that children aren't like a pair of shoes you get to try on and see if they fit." His words stick with Lisa to this day, helping her to serve children even when it's hard.
By Jenny Watson, Director of Communication and Events When was the last time someone visited your church because of a catchy joke on the reader board out front? We can put “All are welcome” on the reader board, but alas, “all” don’t show up on a Sunday morning. So, how does a congregation that wants to serve its neighbors make those initial connection points? How does a church get to the business of loving its neighbors if they have difficulty meeting the neighbors who would welcome their care? At Project 1.27, we talk with churches around our state about how they connect with families in their communities. And not just any families but those who are vulnerable and looking for relational and spiritual support. Funny enough, it takes more than a funny reader board in front of a building for introductions and true connections (those that stick) to happen. We are here to help churches make those “sticky” connections a reality. We bridge churches to local families connected to child welfare. Last year we rolled out two new programs intended to introduce churches to families involved with child welfare so churches can do what churches do so well, care for those who need some extra help. We then resource those church volunteers as they grow in relationship with families.
The first is the Neighbor Program, an existing program that was folded into Project 1.27’s offerings this year. Through the Neighbor Program an individual volunteer signs up to be matched with a foster or kinship family to provide a meal once a month for six months. This is meant to be an introduction where an organic relationship of support can grow. Volunteers, or “neighbors” as we call them, have a clearly defined commitment that is easy to fit into a variety of schedules. Whether it’s a retiree who wants to help, but doesn’t know how, or a busy family that wants a way to serve together that works with their schedule, the Neighbor Program allows members of a congregation to be involved regardless of their stage of life. The second is FamiliesCare, a family preservation program designed to keep families in tact BEFORE a child is removed by Child Protective Services. Because Project 1.27 has longstanding relationships with various counties and their child welfare offices, we are piloting a program where select counties refer families who need additional support to us, and we match these families with trained church groups who are ready to care for them. Members of a congregation go through training together and then commit to being in a supportive relationship with a family for a year. This support could include bringing meals on a regular basis, helping with driving, doing outings together, or offering occasional childcare. The main focus is relational support for a family in need that might otherwise be isolated. These are two programs intended to help the local church fulfill her mission to care for the orphan. James 1.27 is the root of our calling at Project 1.27 and drives everything we do. Part of this includes introducing you as a church to families who are open to a relationship with YOU. We can help you get past the cheesy reader board as an outreach tool, though a good church-themed pun is never out of style. As of now we are not operating these programs in every corner of the state, but we do have them in many. If you would like more information on how to get your church involved in one of these two programs, visit 127familiescare.org/contact. Let us know your church is interested in participating and we can see if we have families nearby ready for YOU to be knocking on THEIR doors. By Alexandra Kuykendall, Director of New Development and the National Network It’s a New Year and time for, you guessed it, Resolutions! Or. Maybe not. I know before becoming a parent, resolutions were much easier to make and keep past Valentine’s Day. Children challenge our desire to have order, peace, and CONTROL.
So, what can we do when we want to make improvements in ourselves, our homes, and our families, but also don’t want to be disappointed when things go off the rails? I spent some time researching this and thinking about how I can set my family and me up for success with any goals, not resolutions, we have for 2024. Many of you have probably seen the acronym SMART for goals, but if you are new to the idea, here is the explanation. Goals Should Be: Specific Measurable Achievable Realistic Timely Here is an example of how to change a vague goal into a SMART goal. A vague goal may be, I want to read my Bible more this year. This goal is not Specific or Measurable. It is probably Achievable and Realistic, but there isn’t a way to evaluate if you have met your goal. To turn it into a SMART goal it would look something like this: My goal is to read through the Bible this year. This goal meets all the requirements of a SMART goal, but how do we achieve it? By making a PLAN! To meet my New Year’s Goal: I will get up 20 minutes earlier each day to add time to read my Bible. I will follow a plan so that I am reading the Bible in an achievable way. I will write down each time I complete a book of the Bible. I will not quit when I miss a day or two, or even a week, but will get back to my PLAN. I will celebrate when my goal is met! Goals are good. Change is good. Our kids need to see us setting goals and working toward them. They need to see that we never stop growing and learning. They need to see us succeed and they need to see us fail – they will learn from how we handle each of those situations. Maybe your family can set individual and family goals and help each other succeed, spend time cheering for each other. We pray that this year is a year of growth for your children, your family and you! That you will all grow closer as a family and closer to Jesus! If you would like to know more about goal setting, check out the Podcast “Our Time to Rise” Episode 436, A New Way of Effective Goal Setting. By Kym Schnittker, Arapahoe County FamiliesCare Manager |
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