Did you send or receive a card or a call for Mother’s or Father’s Day over the past two months? If you did chances are you helped to boost the phone traffic on Mother’s Day to exceed every other day of the year around the world! We are blessed to be in a family.
 
As you made or received those calls or cards did you even stop to think about the thousands of children in our state who are not able to live with their family? According to the Public Children's Services Association in Ohio those numbers were near 16,000 children who made their way into the foster care system. In our county alone those numbers have swelled to 174. These children need families to step in to be their temporary parents and siblings until their own family can heal. In some cases, these children will need a new forever home.
 
We have families who sacrifice to become foster families and many families who sacrifice to become kinship (relatives) families. Sacrifice in many ways is synonymous with raising a family. Your parents may have sacrificed in raising you and you may have sacrificed in raising your own children.
 
Vulnerable children in our communities are in need of people who know the noble purpose of sacrifice who are willing to help them heal.  We love our foster and kinship families and pray you will consider joining their ranks or at least be willing to sacrifice preparing one meal a month or spending time with the children once or twice a month.
 
When you look at that card or remember that phone call ask yourself what you would be willing to sacrifice to help a hurting child who is not able to be with their mother and father. Fostering Family Ministries stands ready to help you get your church involved in serving the least of these. Giving them hope, a home and a family to surround them and most importantly show them the Love of Jesus!

I want to serve

I want to give

For Hope and a Future,

Sherry M. Bouquet
www.fosteringfamilyministries.org