This has been an interesting week! I feel like it was a good one though. With the news of our transition from Group Home to Foster Care has come a lot of questions, confusion and panic! Let me assure all of you that our main focus has been and will continue to be the children in our care. Our mission statement is the same, our compassion is the same, our desire to serve, care for and protect has definitely not changed. The boys in our care now are getting over the initial shock and we are nurturing in them the certainty that whether it is pursuing the adoption plans already in progress, finding other placements or graduating to Independent Living programs, they will be fine. We will not abandon them, we are doing our best to assist their DHS workers in making their future as secure and the transition as gentle as possible. No one has been bad…no one has done anything wrong! The times are changing and in order to provide the best future for the kids in “out of home” care in our agency, we must move to a more workable future.
My husband and I served as volunteer missionaries in Mexico for 21 years and we adopted a philosophy that has been a mainstay for us …IMPROVISE, ADAPT AND ADJUST! We live in a world where not only are laws and regulations evolving, but the culture of our society has also changed. If we desire to continue to serve our kids, we must continue to evaluate our procedures and adapt to what works financially as well as physically in giving them our best. I am understanding more each day as I go through the process of becoming a Foster Parent myself, that we will not just provide a “family style setting”, but we can be more of a FAMILY. Our association with the other foster parents already set to occupy the two new homes has been very positive and supportive! We are creating a community! We will socialize, share knowledge and experience, work together, learn together and play together. We are discussing a community garden so each family can participate and reap the benefits as well as provide good fresh food for our group. We are working on developing a relationship of cooperation and compassion. To be sure there are some unknowns. Some questions can’t be answered right now and more opportunities to learn and grow will come along as we make this journey. Bryan and the Board of Directors are here to help guide and support us. Change is never easy and always has moments of sadness and uncertainty. We humans resist try to change for the most part. Rest assured we will all make it through the next few weeks. school is winding down and we are concentrating on achievement tests, graduations and seeing our guys finish this school year successfully. We ask your patience and positive thoughts and prayers if you desire. We are excited to see what experiences lie ahead. We need your care and support now more than ever. Bob and I want you to know that we are still welcoming you any time you want to visit us. We are available to help answer questions to the best of our knowledge. We are continuing to work with administration to make this as smooth a transition as possible. We are sure that we still all working toward the same goal! We are looking forward to your continued support and friendship. We are believing that your desire to continue changing the lives of our children and youth is still your goal as well as ours and it is exciting to think how many more kids we will be able to serve and how many more lives will be touched by your love and generosity! Come to the Golf tournament Friday the 27th and visit with us even if you’re not swinging a club! Blessings to all!….Colleen
