Foster the Family

Are you tired? Frustrated? Tapped out? 😫 Do you feel overwhelmed by this season? Do you find yourself struggling to just get out of bed in the morning and face the day? Do the behaviors in your home feel too much, or maybe too big, to work through? You’re not alone. Our September training, in partnership with Chosen, is just what we all need! We will be getting down to the nitty-gritty through Chosen’s curriculum, Parenting with the Brain in Mind, to share how trauma affects development, which can often translate into big, and sometimes scary, behaviors! We will also learn how parenting kids with trauma affects our own nervous systems as we can experience a shift into self-protection mode, which diminishes the joy and compassion of parenting, leading our bodies into Blocked Care. This is a training you don’t want to miss– one that we are confident that you will learn so much from! Register today! https://lnkd.in/gHrgbyX7 #ThisIsFosterCare #FosterCare #ThisIsAdoption #Adoption #FosterCareSupport #FosterFamily #BeTheVillage #EveryoneCanDoSomething

HEY FRIENDS! We’ve got EXCITING news to share! We are thrilled to announce that Foster the Family is partnering with Chosen to bring a FREE, trauma-informed virtual training to families across the country! Chosen’s educator, Bethany Hall, will walk us through their carefully curated curriculum, Parenting with the Brain in Mind, where we will discuss the impact trauma has on development, how our own nervous systems struggle as we work through Blocked Care, and practical ways to support not only our children, but also ourselves! We understand the ups, the downs, and the crazy in-betweens that foster and adoptive families face. We’ve walked in your shoes— felt our hearts both burst and break between the unexpected joys and the grievous goodbyes while navigating the challenges that push their way into our homes. That’s why we are here to support you through every step, and in every season, and are so confident that this training will speak wisdom, encouragement, and hope into your life! Join us on September 14 from 3-8pm EST from the comfort of your own home or join a branch near you for a simulcast (with dinner and community!) here: https://lnkd.in/gHrgbyX7 #ThisIsFosterCare #FosterCare #ThisIsAdoption #Adoption #FosterCareSupport #FosterFamily #BeTheVillage #EveryoneCanDoSomething

What's our Mission? Our mission is to support and encourage foster and adoptive families,
mobilize and equip the community and church for foster care and adoption, and advocate for vulnerable children. What's our Why? 391,000 Children in Foster Care and only 208,823 Foster Homes. These are the numbers of a national foster care crisis. Of the families who will say “yes” to opening their homes to vulnerable children, about 50% will end up closing their doors within the first year. Want to Help? Check out our website and all the ways you can get involved today: https://lnkd.in/dWwCfGq2

We are so thankful for our community partners! Our Baltimore Branch connected with Drybar in 2022. Since then, they have hosted multiple Hair Care Tutorial Nights for our families. This is such an encouraging way for multicultural families to learn how to both properly AND confidently care for children's hair! What a gift it is to watch our foster and adoptive parents blossom as they learn from the talented and caring staff at Drybar! Thanks for joining our village, Drybar. #FosterTheFamily #FosterTheFamilyUS #FosterTheFamilyNJ #FosterTheFamilyDC #FosterTheFamilyBaltimore #FosterTheFamilyGrandRapids #FosterTheFamilyFlorida #ThisIsFosterCare #FosterCare #ThisIsAdoption #Adoption #FosterCareSupport #FosterFamily #BeTheVillage #EveryoneCanDoSomething

Our team is growing! ☀ And we'd love to introduce you to one of our newest team members, Annie Roof! Annie will be serving with us as a Support Group Supervisor! She's been a FTF Support Group Leader since we launched our groups all those years ago! Learn a little about Annie: Annie has been passionate about serving children and families through foster care since she was a child. Growing up, her parents were foster parents, so her early experiences shaped her commitment to providing encouragement and support to foster families. She pursued a degree in Human Development and Family Science and became a Foster Home Coordinator for Delaware. After transitioning away from that position to be a stay-at-home mom, Annie and her husband, Blake, became foster parents in 2008. They now live in Maryland and have five children: three by birth, one adopted through foster care, and one currently in foster care. Join us in (officially) welcoming Annie to the FTF family! #FosterTheFamily #FosterTheFamilyUS #FosterTheFamilyNJ #FosterTheFamilyDC #FosterTheFamilyBaltimore #FosterTheFamilyGrandRapids #FosterTheFamilyFlorida #ThisIsFosterCare #FosterCare #ThisIsAdoption #Adoption #FosterCareSupport #FosterFamily #BeTheVillage #EveryoneCanDoSomething

Just like we need peace and security in moments of fear, frustration, or chaos, so do our children. Many children in the foster care/adoption space experience those same big and scary feelings, and it's our job as their caregivers to provide safe spaces for them to feel! Whether it be encouraging open communication, encouraging positive relationships, or encouraging healthy emotional expression, offering any type of continual, safe support will help our children thrive. Because we must feel in order to heal. 🖤 How do you best support your child's feelings? Share below + tag a fellow foster or adoptive parent so they can read these important reminders! #FosterTheFamily #FosterTheFamilyUS #FosterTheFamilyNJ #FosterTheFamilyDC #FosterTheFamilyBaltimore #FosterTheFamilyGrandRapids #FosterTheFamilyFlorida #ThisIsFosterCare #FosterCare #ThisIsAdoption #Adoption #FosterCareSupport #FosterFamily #BeTheVillage #EveryoneCanDoSomething

June is National Reunification Month, and this year, 47% of children experiencing foster care will reunite with their family this year. That's a fact worth CELEBRATING! 👏🏼👏🏽👏🏾 But while we celebrate, we also can't ignore the other side of it. Because today, in the United States, there are over 100,000 children and youth experiencing foster care who are waiting for permanency. For these children and youth, reunification is no longer the goal-- and instead, finding permanency in another way is. This can look like adoption, guardianship, or kinship care. But too often, it looks like being moved from home to home, from placement to placement, and experiencing disruption after disruption. It looks like being separated from siblings, moving school districts, and being unable to become fully involved in sports and clubs and youth groups and activities because a random move is always possible, and always anticipated. It looks like eating turkey at Thanksgiving with one family and waking up Christmas morning with a new one. For 100,000+ children and youth, that's their reality. A reality that needs changed. In order for us to make a change, we need to be the change. So let's be the change. #fosterthefamily #fosterthefamilyus #thisisfostercare #fostercare #fostercaresupport

Who is Foster the Family? In essence, it's people. People who are here for you. 🖤 How would you describe Foster the Family? Comment one word to describe what our org means to you! #fosterthefamily #fosterthefamilyus #fosterthefamilynj #fosterthefamilydc #fosterthefamilybaltimore #fosterthefamilygrandrapids #fosterthefamilyflorida #fostercare #thisisfostercare #fostercaresupport #bethevillage

🖐🏽 🖐🏾 🖐 Are you looking for a new part-time opportunity in the Grand Rapids, Michigan area? Take a look at this opportunity to join Foster the Family's team as the Grand Rapids Director, leading a compassionate, dynamic team who is spreading hope, tangible hope, and encouragement to vulnerable children and the families welcoming them. We look forward to seeing your resume and cover letter! #hiring #childwelfare #nonprofit

While National Foster Care Awareness Month is coming to an end, your support doesn't have to! We are inviting you to play a vital part in bringing the support of Foster the Family to foster, adoptive, and kinship families as a monthly partner. Our incredibly generous partner, Vizionary Wealth Management, has offered to match the donation of anyone who joins our Community of Care during National Foster Care Awareness Month - up to $25,000! That means your donation will be doubled! We are so grateful to Wayne and Mae Wagner from Vizionary Wealth and their generosity and support. Before tomorrow, we would love to meet that $25,000 goal! We are currently at $22,900. Can you help push us to the finish line? Join Community of Care or give today: https://lnkd.in/gC-B_MC8 #fosterthefamily #fosterthefamilyus #fosterthefamilynj #fosterthefamilydc #fosterthefamilybaltimore #fosterthefamilygrandrapids #fosterthefamilyflorida #fostercare #fostercareawareness #nationalfostercareawarenessmonth