Local Outreach- Love Local, Luke 10:29
There are several great ways that you can be involved in loving people in our own community. Please complete the form below to get more information on CFC ministries or click on the links for other organizations.
1. Pray about becoming a foster family
Foster care provides a safe, nurturing, stable and temporary environment for children who can no longer remain in their own homes due to the risk of abuse or neglect. This care may be provided by unlicensed or licensed relatives, as well as licensed non-relative foster parents. When possible, children are placed in close proximity to their families, particularly when reunification is the case plan goal. Foster care placement may occur until reunification with the child’s family takes place or another permanent placement is established. There are many organizations that offer training, placement, and support for foster families. We have experience with the Indiana Department of Child Services and The Villages. See more about being a foster family HERE.
The Villages offer a one hour informational meeting throughout the year. Click HERE to go to The Villages frequently asked questions and find out about their training.
Find out more about fostering through the Indiana Department of Child Services HERE. If you'd like to talk to a current CFC Foster Family, email us, and we'll connect you.
3. Pray about adopting an older child
Nationwide, nearly one-quarter of kids in foster care are legally free for adoption. Through the "I Belong" Project, video storytelling gives kids a face and a voice to help connect many of them with loving, forever families. You can meet, listen to, and see some of the amazing kids here in Indiana who are in need of adoptive homes and find out next steps. See their stories HERE.
3. Become a part of a CFC Care Community
Our Care Communities come along side existing foster families to support them.
Being a foster parent can be hard. Having the support of a Care Community can make a giant difference. Care Communities are teams of 5 or 6 people who are assigned an existing foster family and they provide meals, child care, household chores, run errands and more.
4. Care Portal
This ministry supports families who may be in danger of their children going into foster care due to poverty issues (not neglect) as well as kinship placements of relatives who are caring for children rather than the kids entering the foster system. If the families can be helped through this instance, they may be more likely to keep the children in their home.
Various ways to be a part:
- Find and/or donate needed items
- Deliver items (a truck is helpful, but not always needed) - training & background check required
- Connect and pray with the families for delivery - training & background check required
Research has shown that there is a massive connection between child welfare and sex trafficking, the prison system, poverty, and homelessness. Keeping kids with their families is ground zero for helping to keep these children from moving to these other areas as they get older.
5. Serve with Borrowed Hearts Foundation.
Borrowed Hearts mission is to lead the efforts in which every foster family attains the rights to clothing, hygiene, development, and a loving support system.
Click HERE to view Borrowed Hearts website and find out more about volunteering or donating items.
6. CASA- Court Appointed Special Advocate
CASA recruits, screens, and trains volunteers child advocates to work in the court system in collaboration with other key agencies, legal counsel, and community resources to represent the best interests of children in juvenile court proceedings by investigating circumstances, providing fact-based information and making recommendations to the court while becoming a source of support for the child. Their ultimate goal is to move a child out of temporary placement into a safe and permanent home.
Click HERE to view the Vanderburgh County CASA website, or HERE to view the Warrick County CASA website.
7. Business Support of "Foster Friendly" App
A foster family can go from 2 kids at breakfast to 5 kids at dinner. Nationwide, one of the leading causes of foster parent burnout is a lack of community support. The Foster Friendly App from Indiana Kids Belong provides discounts, support, and services to local foster families and children. Do you have a business that could offer a discount or promotion of your choice to foster families who use the Foster Friendly app? The business will be advertised and listed on the app that is used by foster families, and the families would present their foster parent ID card at the time of transaction. Businesses include restaurants, salons, stores, realtors, gyms, recreation, cleaning & lawn services, tutoring, photography, party rentals, gifts, and more! Find out more and apply to add your business HERE.
8. Isaiah 117 House
Isaiah 117 House is helping to change the way foster care begins by providing a safe and loving home where children are lavishly loved by volunteers until foster placement is found. While in their care, children are provided with NEW clothes, shoes, toys, toiletries, beds or anything else they might need as they transition to a new home. If you would like to know more about volunteering, providing financial support, or purchasing an item from theirr Amazon Wishlist, visit their website HERE.
9. Evansville Christian Health Clinic (part of the Evansville Christian Life Center)
CFC has partnered with this clinic, previously named IMPACT Christian Health Center, since it's inception. The Evansville Christian Health Clinic provides affordable health, pregnancy, and dental care for the uninsured and under-resourced. The pregnancy services at the clinic come alongside pregnant moms, as well as the dads, to provide supportive service during pregnancy or adoption. Programs and volunteers at the Evansville Christian Life Center help with parenting needs and other life skills to fight poverty and strengthen our community. You can find out more the EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN HEALTH CLINIC and the EVANSVILLE CHRISTIAN LIFE CENTER on their websites, or you can donate to the clinic directly or through CFC.
10. EVSC-International Newcomers' Academy
Jesus has told us to share the Gospel in all the nations, but we don't necessarily have to leave Evansville to do that. Many of the nations are here, and we can share God's love with them. CFC is partnering with EVSC's International Newcomers' Academy (INA) which is made up of first and second year ESL students who are in middle school and high school. We can interact with the students in the classroom, help with transportation, offer some events to help them to learn the American culture, and even interact with their families.
11. Praying for the Foster System
Each month, we send out ways that you can pray for CFC foster families, for families we have helped through Care Portal, and partner agencies serving foster kids.