Helping the Helper
At any given time there are hundreds of children in Pennsylvania who must be removed from their homes for their own safety. In these moments, there are foster parents who selflessly step up to take them in. They answer the phone at 3 a.m., put on a pot of coffee and prepare to welcome these scared kids and teens. Many of these parents agree to take large sibling groups to keep them together, or children with complex medical or emotional needs. This is the start of an incredibly demanding journey for both parents and kids.
“ Without help, these foster parents often burn out. The kids grow up and too often become chronically homeless, unemployed or underemployed, or they engage in criminal behavior”
For the foster parent, it can be isolating, emotionally draining, and physically exhausting to care for children with such complex needs. There are court-ordered parental visits, therapy appointments, and typically behavioral or emotional challenges. For the children, the effects of trauma make even routine tasks and responsibilities difficult to manage. Without help, these foster parents often burn out. The kids grow up and too often become chronically homeless, unemployed or underemployed, or they engage in criminal behavior. With help from a team, foster parents are willing to continue stepping up to provide safety and support for kids with nowhere else to go.
- CREATE AWARENESS: We hold informational meetings about Resilient Ministries and its mission as much as we can. We also share as much information on all our social media platforms.
- SAFELY SEEK HELP AND VOLUNTEERS! We screen prospective volunteers for safety concerns. Resilient Ministries is an area of ministry at Lighthouse Family Center in Philadelphia, therefore the church family and friends are expected to sign up to serve within this scope of ministry as opportunities arise. We also welcome the help and volunteers from other churches, organizations, schools and community groups. All volunteers over the age of 18 are screened and background checked for child abuse and criminal history involving children.
- PARENT DATE NIGHT: A team of volunteers from Resilient Ministries and our partners come together as a substitute “extended family” to assist and support foster parents in their task of caring for foster children by giving the parents a “Night Out” from time to time. As we provide the parents some much needed personal care time, we entertain the children with activities, we feed them and we show them warmth, love and attention as an extended family member would.
- CARE BAGS: Campaign for the “Dorcas Bags” - These are backpacks or duffel bags filled with comfort and personal care items for infants, children, and youth entering the foster care system. Typically, children are given a trash bag to pack up their belongings when they are removed from their homes. We are working to end this practice while providing the essentials for a child’s first few days in foster care. This will not only grant the child comfort but alleviate the new parents in having to rush out to initially shop for these items as they welcome them home.
- BIRTHDAY BOXES: The “Nancy” Birthday Boxes - A Birthday Box is an all inclusive kit that helps children in foster care celebrate their special day. When children enter the foster care system the immediate priority is their safety. In the mix of the chaos of entering a new place or group home, children’s birthdays can get overlooked. The goal behind the Birthday Box program is to ensure that every child in foster care can feel seen and appreciated on their birthday.