In honor of National Foster Care Month, we wanted to highlight some of the organizations that are providing help for kids and families throughout our state. Check out these ministries to see how you can get involved!
BAPTIST CHILDREN’S VILLAGE
The Baptist Children’s Village exists, as part of the Mississippi Southern Baptist church, to take the good news of Jesus Christ to at-risk children and families. Recently the BCV Leadership Team reflected on that mission and asked, “Who are we missing and how do we reach them?” The journey to answer that question led the team to commit to the following residential and non-residential programs.
Through the Residential Child Caring Program, Houseparent Missionaries continue in this 127th year to provide for children ages 1-20 on five campuses throughout Mississippi. An Independent Living residential program helps prepare older teens for independence. A new Residential Family Program is launching now in Waynesboro. This program is designed to provide comprehensive support services, based on Christian values, to single mothers and their children during times of crisis. Staff will assist them with transition into independent living. The BCV also partners with a “WINGS” (Women In Need of God’s Shelter) ministry to provide a home for women in crisis who need help to move to a life of healthy independence.
A new partnership was recently launched between Mississippi Child Protection Services (CPS) and the BCV to provide a safe place for children who had to be removed from the home and have unique needs that make a traditional placement impossible.
Family Interventionists are mentoring and encouraging struggling families though the In-Home Family Support non-residential program. These interventionists are working to help preserve at-risk families in 72 Mississippi counties. The foundation for this program is found in Acts 9:36-41. Staff surround families with love, support and encouragement like Dorcas (Tabitha) did in her community.
BCV staff and volunteers are impacting detained teenagers in detention facilities with the gospel through the Youth Detention Intervention Program. We want them to see that Jesus Christ not only provides the necessary deliverance from the punishment for sins, but also deliverance from the power of sin over our lives.
There are some families who contact us whom we cannot serve in either of our residential or non-residential programs. Staff help connect these families to an appropriate resource where they can find help through our Family Resource Referral Program.
All these ministries are accomplished through generous churches, businesses and individuals who provide 100 percent of the funding. Individuals and businesses can now receive a tax credit of up to half their Mississippi tax liability for their gift to the BCV. This credit enables them to give money to The Baptist Children’s Village that they would have paid in taxes. Visit baptistchildrensvillage.com/give to see how you can make a difference for children and families with money you would have given to the state of Mississippi.
CANOPY CHILDREN’S SOLUTIONS
Currently, in Mississippi, there are approximately 4,000 children in foster care. Canopy Children’s Solutions has come alongside the state to be part of the solution. Canopy’s Therapeutic Foster Care is a home-based foster care solution for children with special emotional, behavioral, and medical needs.
Canopy’s foster children are ages birth to 20 years old and are in the custody of the state. Typically, therapeutic foster care children require placements lasting several months until reunification with their families is achieved.
There is always a need for therapeutic foster parents. Canopy offers support to foster parents 24 hours a day. A Canopy therapist meets with the foster child weekly and with the family unit twice-monthly. The Therapeutic Foster Care Specialist visits the home monthly and provides monthly foster parent support group and training opportunities. The goal of Canopy’s Therapeutic Foster Care is to walk alongside both the child and family unit to make them feel as supported as possible.
The most successful foster parents are open-minded, dependable, patient, and willing to try different parenting styles for different children. For those interested in becoming a foster parent, licensed Canopy therapeutic foster parent training is available. Resources include training, crisis intervention, therapy, case management, referrals for other services, and support groups.
Roman Lockett, Therapeutic Foster Care and Adoption Specialist, shared, “What makes therapeutic foster care unique and successful is the intentional and individualized treatment plan each child or teen received. This plan often includes behavioral health services, therapy, and medication monitoring.”
Becoming a foster parent involves Canopy staff making several visits to your home to become acquainted with you and your family via interviews, to ensure that your home is safe for fostering, to gather paperwork, and to fully explain foster parent responsibilities. In-office or at-home training is required prior to approval. Canopy’s screening process helps match foster parents with the child that best fits your family’s lifestyle and ability.
Recently, three siblings staying in a children’s shelter were in need of placement and the situation became urgent. Canopy worked with the shelter and the social worker in hopes of finding a home where the siblings could remain together. Lockett said, “The most rewarding thing has been to see and experience the hope that these children have expressed knowing that there are people trying to do what is best and right for them while their biological parents make efforts towards reunification. I feel privileged to be a part of what happens with these children, especially if it turns out to be the best next thing for them.”
If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, contact Canopy at 601-264-7079 to speak with a Therapeutic Foster Care Specialist, attend an orientation, or visit mycanopy.org to learn more.
CHILDREN’S ADVOCACY CENTERS OF MISSISSIPPI
Learn How to Protect Kids from Abuse is a message for ALL of us. Children’s Advocacy Centers of Mississippi and the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office shared this message throughout the state during Child Abuse Prevention Month. Using our minds… and our hearts… protecting children together! Suspect abuse? Call 1.800.222.8000.
METHODIST CHILDREN’S HOMES OF MISSISSIPPI
By Jordan Faison, communications coordinator
Methodist Children’s Homes is really more like Methodist Youth Homes, because we primarily care for pre-teens and teenagers. Our therapeutic foster care program is licensed and certified to care for children with physical, emotional, or behavioral challenges. Each participating foster family is trained with a Christian perspective and equipped to welcome the child home. We partner with our foster families and continue to be a resource after they have been trained. Therapeutic foster care also offers the option to adopt if the foster family is interested in this aspect of the program. Methodist Children’s Homes is always looking for more families to partner with our organization and our therapeutic foster care program. If you or someone you know is interested in becoming a foster parent with Methodist Children’s Homes, email our Foster Care Director, Porsha Kelly, at pkelly@mchms.org.
MISSISSIPPI DEPARTMENT OF CHILD PROTECTION SERVICES
Each of Mississippi’s 4,000 foster children needs a caring family willing to stand in the gap until they are reunited with their biological family or a plan is made for them to be adopted. To find out how to help, visit MDCPS.ms.gov or call 1-800-821-9157.
PINE BELT FOSTER RESOURCES
Pine Belt Foster Resources is based out of Hattiesburg, serving all surrounding counties including but not limited to Jeff Davis, Covington, Smith, Jones, Jasper, Perry, Forrest, Lamar, Marion, Walthall, Clark, and Green counties. Pine Belt Foster Resources is a volunteer-run nonprofit made up of six board members whose mission is to serve families by providing necessity items to children in foster care and families with children susceptible of going into foster care.
We provide everything from clothing and shoes to beds, car seats, formula and diapers. We have helped more than 250 children in the last three years. We have brought smiles, love and hope with necessities for children who are hurting. If you would like to help, reach out to us on Facebook at facebook.com/PFRHattiesburg or at PFRHattiesburg.org where you can submit a referral for disbursement or make a donation!
THE RESOURCE CENTER
The Resource Center’s mission is to illustrate the love of Jesus by providing food, clothing and beds to Mississippi families in the foster care system who are experiencing a crisis. We are dedicated to meeting the physical and spiritual needs of our community. For more information, visit TraceRidge.org/ResourceCenter.
THE SHELTER MINISTRY AT BROADMOOR
The Shelter Ministry of Broadmoor Baptist Church seeks to assist local foster and adoptive families through support groups, parenting help, and professional counseling. Additionally, we provide consultation and ministry to those facing unexpected pregnancies as well as women who have experienced an abortion. Contact us at 601-898-4947.
SOUTHERN CHRISTIAN SERVICES FOR CHILDREN AND YOUTH
May is National Foster Care Month, a time to recognize the importance of providing love, security, and opportunity to children who have experienced trauma and neglect. At Southern Christian, we believe every child deserves the security and stability of a permanent home. Our licensed therapeutic homes offer temporary families for children and youth facing abuse, neglect, or serious behavioral challenges.
Becoming a foster parent can bring hope when children need it most. Through our foster care program, we recruit, train, and match foster families with children and sibling groups, prioritizing permanency. Whether reuniting with biological families or moving toward adoption, we strive to ensure every child finds a loving, supportive home.
If you’re considering fostering, we offer support and resources, including reimbursement for the cost of caring for a child, monthly support groups, access to mental health therapists, 24-hour support staff, medical coverage, training, and respite care. By becoming a foster parent, you can make a difference in the lives of Mississippi children. Together, with the help of our community and by the grace of God, we’re creating brighter futures. Visit our website, SunriseMS.org, or call us at 601-354-0983 to learn more about how you can get involved in providing a safe and nurturing environment for our children and youth.
SUNNYBROOK
By Ron Veazey, director of advancement
“Come to me all who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” – Matthew 11:28.
I am thankful that our Lord didn’t completely specify in this verse what qualifies as being truly weary or burdened before we can “come to Him”! He left this verse vague for you to define in context to your own personal situation. The old saying, “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure” holds true with both weariness and burdens. One person’s heavy burden is another person’s light load!
The young people whom we serve at Sunnybrook (ages 14 to 21) have been dealt difficult hands in their young lives. Most have grown up in foster care and will soon age out or have already aged out of the system. In Paul Simon’s masterpiece “The Sound of Silence,” he opens with the line, “Hello darkness, my old friend,” which succinctly describes how our residents view life when they arrive.
They come trapped in a cocoon of sadness, loneliness, fear and hopelessness. They are not simply broken like you and me but are profoundly shattered by dark sadness and unspeakable things that many have either witnessed or experienced at young ages.
Doesn’t this truth about our residents make your burdens seem small relative to their young lives? I can speak personally: YES, 100 percent it does! But this truth doesn’t diminish your personal weariness or heavy burdens that YOU carry. Jesus meets everyone in our relative situation of despair, and He reaches out and gently says in His irresistible voice, “Come to Me.”
Maya Angelou has a wonderful quote: “We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve such beauty.”
I recently attended a church service where two of our residents (our Sunnybrook butterflies) were baptized. All of our staff openly wept as they lowered each resident (one who is paralyzed) into the baptismal pool. Another resident was so moved during the service that she also gave her life to Christ!
You see, our God can deal with all levels of weariness; no weight is too heavy for Him. For He has the power to renew our strength and lift all our crushing burdens to save the lives of both the broken and the shattered!
I firmly believe that our residents are providentially placed in our care, not only to provide quality programs and services to prepare them for life outside of the foster care system, but to also be beacons of light and hope in our community. Our precious butterflies bear witness to a powerful and awesome God!
