“Not everyone can be a foster parent, but everyone can do something.”
Supporting the work of foster care in my local community is an effort that I’m committed to as part of my business. As a Christian, I want to affirm the importance and value of all children–especially at-risk children who need extra support and attention. That’s why I’ve chosen to support The Sanctuary Foster Care Services.
Why The Sanctuary Foster Care Services?
While there are a lot of good things I can highlight about The Sanctuary, what it really boils down to is that I see the work that they are doing as a discipleship opportunity. For those of you who may not know what I mean by that, let me explain it to you this way:
Foster care is a way for us to care for the fatherless and lead them into a life-saving and life-transforming relationship with Jesus in the way that he has called us to.
Furthermore, addressing some of the glaring issues in the foster care system is a step in addressing many other societal problems and The Sanctuary is on the right track as they are building support systems to ensure that foster caregivers have the resources they need to continue caring well for children.
Here are some shocking statistics about adults who’ve been in foster care:
- 25% homeless
- 50% unemployed
- 60% of young men have been convicted of a crime
- 80% have been arrested
- 94% have no 2- or 4-year degree (even though they’re eligible to get free education)
- 60% of sex trafficking victims are former foster youth
How I got involved
Ever since my wife and I got started in business in 2013, we had a goal of using our business as a means to fund ministry, whether it was our own or someone else’s. And while my wife and I are not foster parents ourselves, my wife has been involved in foster children advocacy, which is what opened our eyes to the brokenness of the system and the need for change.
So when I caught wind in 2019 of a new organization whose mission was to support foster parents in a way that our broken foster care system cannot AND also do it in a redemptive, gospel-centered way, I was all ears.
My first step was signing up to sponsor the Creek 5K to benefit The Sanctuary. Since then, I’ve helped promote giving goals on Giving Tuesdays, sponsored more fundraising events, and I currently serve on the Business Partnership team and Realtor Program to help partner with community business owners and Realtors who want to get involved.
Since January 2020, I have committed to donate a portion of every real estate transaction to continue to lift up this important work in our community.
Here’s what I want those of you reading this to recognize about foster care: you do not have to commit to being a foster parent in order to support the work of foster care.
How you can get involved
One aspect of The Sanctuary’s work that sets them apart from most other foster care agencies is their commitment to full support, trauma-informed training, 24/7 crisis intervention, and counseling for foster parents and their families.
The level of service they provide to ensure the long-term success of foster families requires more financial support than government funding and grants provide for. So they need the financial support of our community in order the accomplish their mission.
The Sanctuary staff invest so much of their time and emotional energy to advocate for foster children in dire circumstances with unimaginable trauma. And while they bear it well, they can also use our support by giving our time and encouragement.
Check out their website to learn more about sponsoring events like the 5k and golf tournaments and to make one-time gifts or recurring donations. You can also reach out through their Connect page to learn more about how you can serve their mission with your time and talent, helping them carry some of the load of this heavy work.
Will you consider joining with me to help such an incredible organization? Because even though not everyone can be a foster parent, everyone can do something!