Good News - May 2019

LOCAL 20 MAY 2019 Good News • South Florida Edition Last month, over 2,000 people came together for 4KIDS’ biggest gathering of world-changers yet, Advocate 4KIDS! Featuring a live per- formance by Christian artist Jimmy Needham, and an in- spiring message from motiva- tional speaker Nick Vujicic, it was a night many will never for- get. Together, businesses, churches and passionate indi- viduals from six different coun- ties discovered how they can make a difference for children in foster care. All those in atten- dance were empowered to be- lieve that it only takes one person to redefine a child's future and leave a life- changing impact for genera- tions to come. Since 1988, May has been recognized annually as Na- tional Foster Care Month in the United States. This year, 4KIDS is propelling the momentum gained at Advocate 4KIDS and using this month to educate the community on the foster care crisis happening right here in our own backyards. Here is the reality of the foster care epi- demic in South Florida. Every day in our commu- nity, 6 to 10 kids are being re- moved from their homes due to abuse, abandonment or neg- lect. When no family or friends are able to take them in, these kids end up in the foster care system. Due to no fault of their own, these children are sepa- rated from the only family they have ever known and faced with an uncertain future. Be- cause of the lack of foster homes in our area, many kids have to switch schools and may even be separated from their brothers and sisters. Between January and March of this year, 4KIDS had to turn away, on average, 85 of these children eachmonth simply because there were no homes available for them. The 4KIDS community is devastated that these kids had to go to group shelters or be placed with other agencies, in- stead of being able to stay with a loving Christian foster family. Though the Lord has a plan for each of their lives, we know that the best chance we could ever give a child in crisis is the op- portunity to be a part of a family who loves them. When we con- sider God’s call to care for ‘or- phans’ many of us may be thinking of children far away, but kids who need a home and a family are right here in our neighborhoods — they are Close to Home. The local church is the an- swer to this crisis happening Close To Home. If just one out of every 265 Christian families across South Florida opened their homes to children in foster care, there would be no kids waiting in shelters or in need of a loving home. Within our grasp is the power to change the face of foster care in South Florida and become a successful model that could alter child wel- fare systems all across the country. If not us, then who? This National Foster Care Month, join 4KIDS and create more loving families for kids who need them. Here are two ways that you can do that today: 1.Pray about becoming a foster parent. 2.Give your best gift to help recruit and equip more foster families. By doing one of these two things, you are breaking gen- erational cycles of abuse and neglect in our community, and providing hope, homes, and healing to kids in crisis. To learn more, please visit 4KIDS.us . National Foster Care Month Brings Attention to the Crisis Close to Home Daniela Bolla 4KIDS Nick Vujicic