Greetings! Welcome to our first quarterly newsletter! Having a newsletter is something that I have wanted to get going for a while, but have not made the time to do so. With the hiring of Alyssa Beach as Office Manager/Volunteer Coordinator, I finally have time to get this done! We hired Alyssa at the end of January and she has been an EXCELLENT addition to our team! She is organized, bubbly and a hard worker. If you volunteer with us, you have probably met her already, but if not, take the time to meet her when you can!
We have already had a packed year and are only 3 months in. We have had teenage volunteers from youth groups at FBC Wake Village, FBC Hooks, Myrtle Springs, Crossview, and Hooks High School. We have had sock donations from Trice Elementary, backpack donations from Redwater High School, jeans donations from Heritage Church, carpet donations from Light House Flooring Gallery, and car seat donations from the Junior League of Texarkana. Texarkana is definitely a very giving community!
We have also been able to help many people because of your generous donations! We were able to give formula and a $190 gift card to Walmart to a foster family who was struggling during the government shut down. We were able to furnish an entire apartment for a 17 year old girl who is 9 months pregnant and is getting her 2 year old baby back. We have given out 1 crib, 530 clothing items, 52 pairs of shoes, 10 packs of diapers, 10 packs of wipes, 1 car seat and numerous bows, socks and underwear to help out 41 children in Miller, Bowie and Cass Counties! WOW!!! Texarkana, You are REALLY stepping up to the plate!!! Thank you for supporting the local foster care community and for responding to needs as you see them!
-Angela Coston, Executive Director
Spring is here! We are so excited for the arrival of spring at the Blessing Boutique located at For the Sake of One on Hickory Street. We have lots of new things provided by our wonderful community ready to place in the boutique to allow our foster and kinship families shopping opportunities. But we need you!
Saturday, March 30th from 12 p.m. to 3 p.m. has been set aside as our change out day. We will be packing away our fall and winter clothing and restocking with our spring and summer donations. The more volunteers we have, the sooner the Blessing Boutique will be ready for our families to prepare for spring and summer!
Many of our foster families who shop with us mentioned it is "such a blessing" we provide, especially in the early days of fostering a new placement. We are a much needed source to the families for clothing, shoes, socks, etc. So it seemed fitting to name our little room the Blessing Boutique. Our community has blessed us tremendously with donations.
Please mark your calendars and join us on Saturday, March 30th. No experience necessary!
-Kathy Hudson, Board Member and volunteer
“We love it when you bring the goodies! Someone tells me ‘Angela is coming this week’ and I make sure I’m in the office!” –Cherrell, TX caseworker
“We really enjoyed Saturday night! Thank you for all that you do for foster/adoptive parents!!!" –Brandy, Foster/Adoptive mom
“I am in awe of what God is doing through His people. They are doing exactly what He’s called them to do – Be the church!” – Peri, Foster mom
“To be able to have a resource like For the Sake of One is a major contribution to the families we help and the workers who want to impact lives.” - Kenoshia, AR caseworker
Caseworkers are overworked, underpaid and see the worst of the worst. Did you know that 75% of caseworkers quit within the first 13 months? According to the Dayton Daily News, a child with one caseworker through a year’s time has a 74% chance of finding a permanent placement. However, that rate drops to 17% when two caseworkers are involved and 5% when three caseworkers are involved with one child’s case. We have about 60 case workers that we partner with between Bowie, Cass and Miller Counties.
Our hope is to decrease the burn-out rate of caseworkers through encouraging them with God’s love and letting them know they are not alone. We currently need about 30 more volunteers to be an encourager. We ask that you commit to at least one year to doing this, but please feel free to continue longer than one year.
Responsibilities of this position are to send an encouraging email, text or phone call to your case worker at least two-three times a month, pray for them daily and send or take them a goody once a month. Feel free to do more than the base requirement. If you are interested in encouraging a caseworker, please email our Volunteer Coordinator, Alyssa, at [email protected].
-Alyssa Beach, Volunteer Coordinator/Office Manager
THANK YOU!!
To our partnering Churches!
Wake Village FBC
Beech Street FBC
Heritage Church
Myrtle Springs Baptist Church
Cross Pointe Baptist Church
First United Methodist Church
Church on the Rock
Richmond Road Baptist Church
FBC Hooks
FBC Nash
Hardy Memorial United Methodist Church
FBC Texarkana
March 30: 12-3 – Change out the seasons in our Blessing Boutique
April 27: 8-3 – Babysitter Training – Become a licensed Respite Provider in ONE DAY!
April 30: 11:30 – Ribbon Cutting (422 Hickory)
April 30: 12-6 – Open House – Come tour our facility and have refreshments!
May 3: 9 am – 3rd Annual Golf Tournament at the Texarkana Golf Ranch. Email Angela at [email protected] for more information.
May 30-31 – Families Count Simulcast. This is the curriculum we will use for our biological parent support. If your church would like to join with us in this, please email [email protected]. Go to https://lifelinechild.org/families-count/ for more information on this program.