As you can see on our website, my role here at For the Sake of One is the Building Healthy Families Program Director. FSO launched this program to target moms with newborns who are struggling, but not endangering their child/children enough for CPS/DHS removal. Signs of struggling could look like poverty, food insecurities, poor parenting techniques, and lack of support/resources. It’s designed to give them extra support, connect them to other resources, and give them a helping hand with parenting. Our hope is to tackle the issues earlier in order to prevent further abuse/neglect and removal.

So many of these families have experienced hardships for generations. It is a vicious cycle that is hard to get out of, especially if you don’t have the best means to do it. There is so much trauma within the cycle, but it takes knowledge, awareness, and resources to overcome it. Through the Building Healthy Families Program, we’re able to offer trauma-informed trainings, provide basic needs monthly (diapers, wipes, formula, clothing), walk through a parenting curriculum with them, and just be someone who is willing to be on their team.

I have such a passion for foster care, but I have found a sweet spot working alongside these biological families. I get to visit their homes each week to be a support for them and help them take steps to get to a point where they can thrive and provide a healthy environment for their kids. I get to be a listening ear when they’re overwhelmed with life, and they may not have anyone else to turn to. I get to pray with and for them as they navigate through their struggles. I get to help them focus and build on their strengths and be an advocate for them. I choose to see the good and believe in them so that they in turn may be more willing to believe in themselves. Since taking on my first client in April 2021, I have seen 3 of my families get their CPS cases closed because they did the work to fight for their kids! I get to see God show out every single day through this program and I couldn’t be more thankful.

There are ways you can partner with us to help support these families! Over Christmas, we had a church provide stockings with gift cards, devotionals, and other self-care items to gift to them. They would greatly benefit from food items they could have on hand, gift cards to restaurants or grocery stores, gas cards, etc. Please contact us if you ever feel led to bless these families! If you can’t provide physical support, join me in prayer over the families currently involved in our Building Healthy Families Program and for those I’ll get to work with in the future!

Lauren Crow

Building Healthy Families Program Director

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