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Fostering Hope exists to support and serve our local foster care community. We currently have a variety of programs that are in place to support, encourage and provide resources to children in care, foster families, and agency workers. We aim to bring the community together and partner with local churches, businesses, and organizations with the idea that we can do more together than apart.
Our Caring Closet locations help provide for the basic needs of children in foster care. Most children come into care with very few belongings. Through donations from the community, Fostering Hope is able to provide clothing, toiletries, shoes, and many other items to children in care and the families caring for them. We have a location in Carl Junction in Carl Junction that is open each Saturday morning and a location in Sheldon that is open by appointment. Fostering Hope is always seeking reliable volunteers to sort and organize donations at our locations and to assist families and children when they come in to get needed items. We also rely on the continued support of our community through donations to stock our buildings with the items needed for children in care.
Learn More VolunteerThe Hope fund is a designated fund that allows Fostering Hope to help provide for the needs of children in care that are not covered by the state. There are often expenses that come up for a child that are not covered through state funds and that are financially difficult for a foster family to easily afford when they have numerous children in their home. Some of these things include but are not limited to instrument rentals, dance lessons, sports equipment, camp fees, etc. Fostering Hope believes that it is important for children in care to be able to participate in these childhood experiences if they want to. We do not believe they should miss out on these things because of their present situation. We hold fundraisers throughout the year that are dedicated to specifically raising money for this fund.
Each year Fostering Hope partners with local photographers to provide senior photo sessions to each teen in care that will be graduating. Senior pictures are an expense that the state does not cover & an expense that not all foster parents are able to easily afford. But we believe that senior pictures are important for these students to have regardless. We are always looking for photographers that are willing to donate their time and services so that we can continue to offer this program.
VolunteerBirthday cards are mailed out to each child in care in Jasper County. We want every child in foster care to know that regardless of their current situation they are special and thought of…and who doesn’t like receiving fun mail! We partner with Wendy’s who provides a coupon for a free kid’s meal to place in each card.
Fostering Hope mails books to 15 children each month along with an encouraging card. We think it brightens someone’s day to receive mail meant just for them & for no particular reason! We want each child to know that they are amazing, special, important, unique, precious, and loved. We are able to send new books each month through community donations and a partnership throughout the year with the Sweet Dreams Pajama Program.
When a family takes a child into their home, it is a time of adjustment that can sometimes be stressful with the addition of new schedules, appointments, and settling into a routine. In an attempt to be of help during this often hectic time, Fostering Hope provides a freezer meal to the family. It also gives us an easy opportunity to let them know about the other resources available to them through Fostering Hope.
VolunteerFostering Hope enjoys getting to host a craft & coffee night each month for foster and adoptive moms. These nights provide a relaxed and fun environment for these ladies to spend an evening together creating something beautiful, encouraging one another, and being able to connect with others who understand their struggles and emotions.
There are so many amazing foster parents in our community and they do not often get the recognition they deserve for the hard work and time they daily put into caring for the children in their home. The purpose of this program is to spotlight a foster family each month so that we can publicly and personally thank them for what they have done and are continuing to do. Fostering Hope provides a gift card to a local restaurant and some extra cash to cover a babysitter so the parents can enjoy a night out. Families are selected based on nominations and are highlighted on our Facebook page.
Each year we partner with Zimmer Radio’s NewsTalk KZRG to host the Christmas of Hope campaign. Christmas of Hope is a program that allows our community to come alongside and support foster families by helping to provide gifts for the children in their care. While one of the goals of Christmas of Hope is to support these families by easing the financial burden that often comes at this time of year, the primary mission is to show these children and families that they are loved and supported by their community. Wish lists are collected from each child and then a BIG shopping day is held where volunteers shop for gifts off of each child’s wish list.
Learn MoreFostering Hope provides snacks to local foster care agency offices during their monthly all-staff meetings. This is a small but effective way we can support these workers. It lets them know that they are being thought of and appreciated and it gives them a little something to look forward to each month.
VolunteerFostering Hope provides a bag of goodies to agency workers during the month of their birthday. It is an easy way to celebrate them & provide them with some snacks!
An annual appreciation breakfast is held each November to honor and appreciate those that work within the foster care system.
Fostering Hope partners with Jasper County Children’s Division during their annual staff appreciation week. We help to cover the cost of food as well as a fun event during the week.
It’s one of our values to provide foster children, foster families and child welfare agency workers with resources to help them in the situations they may find themselves in. Some of our popular resources include our Resource Manual, our blog and our Caring Closet. Check out our Resources page to see all our available resources.