Page 5 - Samaritas Our Hands Spring Summer 2024
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FAMILY SERVICES
                                                                                                                 Family Preservation
         Finding Forever Familes                                                                                 Foster Care
                                                                                                                 Independent Living Plus
                                                                                                                 Adoption
         for More Kids


         Every day, 2,500 unmatched children in Michigan wait for adoption and stability in their lives.
         Most of these children wait 2 to 5 years and are at severe risk of "aging out" of the foster care system
         without permanent connections to families and adults to guide them into successful adulthood.
         Legacy Adoption Services (LAS) is dedicated to finding permanent homes for every child. With the
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         help of a $75,000 grant from the C Community Foundation for Southeast Michigan, LAS has been
         able to find and prepare more "forever families," with a focus on recruiting and supporting
         additional families of color OR diverse and culturally competent families who are interested in
         adopting children from foster care.
         Using a staff teaming approach, LAS expanded its community outreach and hosted specialized
         training for prospective adoptive families to best prepare them for behavioral challenges and
         traumatic experiences that waiting children may struggle with. The new family support group
         discusses topics from trans-racial parenting to advocating for their child's educational needs. One
         member shared, "The support group has helped me feel better about my situation. I feel less alone."
         Rachel Sykes, LAS Executive Director, stated, "We plan for these partnerships to grow stronger and
         for more voices to be heard, so that more community members can join the effort to place children
         with families from their birth county or county of origin. We want these families to reflect the
         child's unique demographics and help them celebrate and connect with their culture and history."
         One family sought out LAS after attending their church volunteer day, putting care packages together for children in foster care.
         The mother said she had it in her heart that she had more love to give and wanted to grow their family through adoption. The father
         grew up within the foster care system and shared his struggles with his wife. Their shared resolve to offer a nurturing home to a child
         led them to become a licensed foster home. LAS used their strengthened staff matching resources to place them with a young man near
         their biological son's age. Their inspiring journey culminated in an adoptive placement, and they now eagerly await the finalization of
         the process in June.
         Thanks to the Community Foundation for Southeastern Michigan, LAS results are becoming more visible, and stories are emerging to
         inspire more families to participate in our strategic recruitment. One church has even become a regular pen pal with a LAS youth,
         hoping to expand to other children.
         If you would like to learn more about how to engage with LAS, please contact Angela Baeckeroot at Angela.Baeckeroot@samaritas.org
         and Samaritas foster care in your area, please contact Jennifer Stevens at Jennifer.Stevens@samaritas.org. We are grateful for the
         generous support of the CFSEM, which shares our vision of finding loving and lasting homes for every child.
         Way to go Kristin!
         Recipient of the Maura D. Corrigan Foster
         Family Lifetime Achievement Award
         We are thrilled for Kristin Vanderkam, who has shown exceptional
         dedication and compassion as a licensing and intake worker in child
         welfare for the past decade. Kristin not only identifies foster homes for
         children but also became a foster parent herself in 2019. She has since
         become a go-to foster parent for children of all ages and needs.
         As a single caregiver for four unrelated children ranging from seven
         months to seventeen years old, Kristin goes above and beyond, from
         providing emotional support to practical needs like transportation,
         cooking, and crisis intervention.
         One touching example of her impact is a seventeen-year-old girl who found stability and hope in Kristin's
         home after years of instability in foster care. Kristin's kindness and dedication have made a profound
         difference in this young girl's life, allowing her to envision a future beyond foster care. Kristin's selflessness and
         commitment to making a difference are truly inspiring.
         To join Kristin on our team in this meaningful work and to learn more about career opportunities at Samaritas
         and Legacy Adoption Services, please contact Melissa Donselar at Melissa.Donselar@samaritas.org
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