Foster*A*Life has provided funding so that a sibling group of five would be reunited at Camp To Belong. Before these children were to be placed in homes that would separate them by hundreds of miles, they were going to have a going away party where they would take one last photo of them together as a family. This didn’t happen because of a snowstorm. Because of generous donors, they had this chance. They had the chance to be children and not worry about their former life of abuse. Other dreams provided have included proper eyeglasses for a young girl, t-ball registration, funding to send a young girl on a mission trip with her church and a shopping spree to buy much needed school clothing. A dream was granted recently to a very special young girl who is a quadriplegic and legally blind She must spend each day of her life on a bed in a nursing home. Foster*A*Life was able to buy her a television that she was able to see as well as a DVD player along with her favorite movies. The glow on her face when she received this dream was priceless.
Dreams can be as creative as a child’s imagination and could include things such as sports team registration, art classes, Cub Scouts and Girl Scouts or any number of things. With the help of the CH Foundation, Foster*A*Life provides a tutoring program for these children who tend to be behind others academically. Won’t you help us help these children to realize that there are people who care and want them to grow and develop to their fullest potential?
Community Education
Another important aspect of Foster*A*Life is to educate the public about these children and the societal consequences of foster care. Donors can help these children have more fulfilling and positive lives. One hundred percent of the money that is raised will stay right here in the Lubbock area to help these children make their dreams a reality. Foster*A*Life is a 100% volunteer organization with no salaries being paid. A group of community volunteers serves on the Foster*A*Life board to process these requests as they are presented so that contributions make a positive impact on the life of a child. Contact us to make a difference today!
Make Magic Happen
Foster*A*Life’s dedication to strengthening and enhancing the lives of these children has been well established; however, Foster*A*Life’s new project “Make Magic Happen” will strengthen and enhance the lives of these children as well as their parents. When children are in foster care, they generally visit their parent(s) in a supervised environment at CPS offices. These visits typically occur weekly depending on the specifics of the individual family situation. These visits help the children maintain connection to their parent and offer parents an opportunity to demonstrate new parenting skills they are learning in a monitored and safe environment. The primary goal of foster care intervention is to provide for the child’s safety while assisting the parent(s) to reduce the risks of future abuse or neglect. The ultimate goal is to safely reunify children with their parents, if at all possible.
Unfortunately, the current visitation rooms and lobby can only be described as dismal. They are not conducive to positive interaction. The “Make Magic Happen” project is designed to create a warm, child and family friendly environment in the visitation rooms. Funds will specifically be allocated toward the purchase of wall paint, murals as well as mounted and interactive wall games for children. The funds will also be used for construction material and labor costs. A team of professionals in the areas of construction and design have created plans for this project. Ms. Melissa Grimes of Studio West has designed beautiful rooms that will meet the goal of this project. Mr. Scott Collier from Teinert Construction will supervise the construction. A special Make Magic Happen committee has been established for this project.
In a typical month, the CPS facility hosts a minimum of 200 foster children, representing more than 90 families, for a collective total of over 350 parent–child visitations each month. Providing a warm, engaging environment for visitation offers substantial therapeutic benefits to children and their parents and serves as a lasting, tangible demonstration of community collaboration to recognize and serve children in foster care. The goal is to return these children to their families after the parents have learned proper parenting skills. The refurbished rooms will facilitate the teaching of these parenting skills and will also help assess the progress made by a parent. A happy child being returned into a home with nurturing parents who have now learned proper parenting skills is a tremendous benefit for these children as well as the community.
The unique aspect of Foster*A*Life is that it focuses on foster children. Foster*A*Life now has an opportunity to play a role in helping the parents of these children to learn new parenting skills and hopefully playing a part in reunifying these children with their parents.