It's #GivingTuesday! Let's Keep A Good Thing Going!

Since it's #GivingTuesday, we decided to extend our campaign just ONE MORE DAY!  Any one wanting to make a tax-deductible donation to a grass-roots organization helping families in crisis can still donate!  Click on the image to the right and make a different in the lives of children and families in your community, or view the campaign on CrowdRise Here.  

Wow!! God Did It... Through YOU!

We are ecstatic.  This is really great…. we MADE OUR GOAL!  You gave $10,000 for Safe Families for Children of Madison County.  

We would like to extend a heart felt THANK YOU to our generous donor's who have stepped forward not only to making this a successful campaign, but to change lives right here in our own back yard.

Each of you are a part of something much bigger than just giving to a non-profit organization. You are empowering people to help other people and believing that God made us to do this work. You are allowing those who have stepped up to this mighty call to be the hands and feet of Jesus and serve families in crisis in our community.You are supporting the Church's ability to:

"Defend the cause of the weak and the fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.  Rescue the weak and needy; deliver them from the hand of the wicked."  
Psalm 82:3

You are keeping a Movement moving.

And for that, we say

God is doing great things in Madison County, through the hearts and hands of benevolent people, businesses and churches.
A special thanks goes out to the following people for their contribution to this effort:

Pam and Larry Nevins
Ryan Flegel
Annie Nichols & Family
Amanda Day & Family
Jennifer Overshiner & Family
Kristin and Eric Stayer
Hillary and Owen Nevins
Steve Voss
Luke and Jessee Nevins
Chris and Sara Richardson
Ryan Snider
Ken and Linda Johnson
Gregg Zion
Amanda Pippin & Family
Lisa DeLey
Bryan Williams
Angie Mollenkopf
Jeff and Kelly Seal
James W. Lewis
Megan Wolfe
Chad and Amy Lukens
Joe and Barbara Clark
Mary Harvey
Walter and Betty Copeland
Kyle Hupfer & Family
John Perkins/Flyover Enterprises
Jake & Arin Anderson & Family
Janice Stamper & Family
Jen Brawner/Kelly Crockett

and our anonymous donors
K.R.
K.B.
C.C.
P.F.
C.A.
A.W.
J.N.
S.G.
N&L D.

Matching Fund Donors:
Bryan Williams and Lisa DeLey
Howard, Dudley and DeLey
Angela Sims
Tom Hamer
Jimmy McDole
Scott and Jana Kemper
Bruce and Mary Ellen McDonald
Park Place Church of God
Pendleton Christian Church
Markleville North Christian Church

Also, thank you to Andria Pilkington for allowing us to use her video in our campaign, and for being willing to share her story with our audience.

Founder Dr. David Anderson calls Safe Families for Children, "a movement of hundreds of Christian families who have opened their homes to care for children whose parents are struggling.  By demonstrating biblical hospitality, Safe Families returns the church to the forefront of caring for "orphans and widows."' (James 1:27)

This "biblical hospitality" is alive and well in Madison County.  With almost 25 approved host families and close to 200 placements having been facilited, God is already moving in mighty ways. Here is just one example:

Ashley had 5 children and made a desperate phone call to our crisis line on a hot and sticky afternoon in July.  Ashley sat in our office with tears running down her cheeks, explaining how she had lost her job, her tax-return had been intercepted, and her utilities had been turned off for non-payment.  She asked if she could place her children with our host families until she could start her new job, earn some income and pay her utility bill.

We placed 3 out of the 5 children in our host homes and assisted Ashley with contacting resources for help with her utilities.  During our time with Ashley, she confessed "my children need the influence of a family.  We used to be a family before I had to leave my husband.  I never thought I would be alone in the world with 5 children, but I am."

Two host families, Chad and Tiffany Dzerve and Heather and Noel Lephart, took in 3 of the children while Ashley started her new job and waited to recieve her paycheck.  Heather and Noel were aware of Ashley's need for financial help with her utility bill.  Ashley's oldest daughter Arianna spotted a jar full of change in the Lephart's home one day and said, "Hey we could count the change and give it to my Mama!"  The Lephart's agreed to the plan and wrote a check to the utility company for over $100 to assist with the arrearage.

Chad and Tiffany blessed the two younger children, Clayton and Miranda, with their spacious country home.  The two children played well with their own two girls and there never seemed to be a dull moment in their home during the 5 week placement.  Clayton and Miranda were grateful to have Chad and Tiffany's home as a place to rest, take a breath, and be a kid.

After 5 weeks, Ashley had begun receiving paychecks, found assistance for her utility bill and was able to bring her children home just in time for school to start again.  Clayton told his safe family, "I'm definitly coming back to your house next summer!"

Just last week, Safe Families contacted Ashley about needs for her children for Christmas. Her response was, "Definitely... Thanks for all you do at Safe Families.  You all are angels."

God is working through Safe Families to change lives, and we can't thak you enough for your generous support of our organization.  If you'd like to learn more about hosting, getting your church involved or volunteering with Safe Families, please email ejohnson@safefamilies.net 

A Special Thanks to our Donor's!

Safe Families of Madison County would like to say a BIG HUGE thank you to those who have opened their hearts and opened their wallets to supporting Safe Families for Children of Madison County through our online giving campaign during the month of November.

We are a little over half-way to our fundraising goal!  We need 47 more people to give $50 and we will make our goal of $5,000 in online donations!!  Each and every dollar that is given will be matched, giving SFFC Madison County a total of $10,000.  I'd like to take a moment to acknowledge those who have supported this campaign so far:

Joe and Barbara Clark

Bryan Williams

Lisa DeLey

Pendleton Christian Church

The Luken's Family

The Kemper Family

Megan Wolfe

James W. Lewis

Jeff and Kelly Seal

The Mollenkopf Family

The Pippin Family
Pam and Larry Nevins
Ryan Flegel
Jon and Annie Nichols
Blessed to be a Blessing
Steve Voss
Owen and Hillary Nevins
Kristin and Eric Stayer
The Overshiner's

Gregg Zion

Anonymous

Ken and Linda Johnson

Ryan Snider

Aleah Wade

Chris and Sara Richardson
Amanda Day

Jackie Nevins
Mary Harvey

and of course….

Jesus 

(or was that my brother donating in Jesus name?)

Every single donation takes time and energy… so thank you to each of you who took the time to support this effort.  Each of you have contributed to keeping this incredible organization on it's feet!

In March of 2013 Safe Families started up in Madison County with the help of seed money from Safe Families of Central Indiana.  After being supported for over a year and a half, SFFC Madison County is making a BIG effort at standing on it's own two feet!  Finishing this online giving campaign strong will allow us to stay in full-time operation.  On average, it costs Safe Families $150 to help a child in crisis and $500 to help an entire family.  Your dollars mean we can help more families! 

Sometimes business jump on board and donate more than just money.  Joe Clark is a supporter that also runs a weekly radio show called Consider This with Big Joe Clark at the Financial Enhancement Group in Anderson.  A few months ago, Joe invited me to share a little bit about Safe Families on his program, while he shared with his audience a little bit about giving to non-profit organizations.

Joe's connection with Safe Families was personal, like many of them are.  He shares about how God brought him into the knowledge of Safe Families by means of two stories circulating all within the same 36 hour span of time.  Joe says that it was obvious that God wanted him to pay attention to this!  You can hear Joe's story and more about what Safe Families is, how to contact us and why giving to non-profits matters.

SAFE FAMILIES ON CONSIDER THIS WITH BIG JOE CLARK 5/17/14 (starting at minute 4:00)

SAFE FAMILIES ON CONSIDER THIS WITH BIG JOE CLARK 6/21/14

"Emma really does need the financial support and the funding to be able to keep it going.  It is to a degree a start up in Madison County… we need to have the awareness that the place exists.  That takes a little bit of sweat equity, but it also takes a little bit of capital… but we really need to step up as a county to try to be able to support and provide for that as best we can." 

-- Big Joe Clark

A Big Effort

Allow me to take a moment to pull you into a a BIG effort by Safe Families of Madison County.  In case you are not yet familiar, I'll explain.  Safe Families allows parents who are in crisis to voluntarily choose to place their child in the home of a host family, while the parent works to get back on their feet.  Our host families are intentionally recruited through churches; they are screened, trained and they are not paid.  We refer to what we do as less of a "program" and more of an opportunity for people to help people.  Novel idea isn't it?  We have facilitated over 160 placements and recruited over 22 host families since our inception in Madison County in March of 2013.  

A snapshot of those numbers looks like this:

• a homeless family of 6 now has a home after a 5 week placement
• a 6 year old girl raised by her grandmother with terminal cancer has been adopted by her host family
• a mother of 5 with no utilities in her home established a new job and was able to pay her utilities…plus her kids had the best summer ever!
• a mother of 5 was able to complete her goals by completing CNA training and moving out of her tiny apartment

There is no doubt we are meant to be here in Madison County, serving families in crisis by meeting their immediate needs and connecting them with loving host families who care for their children with the love of Jesus.

Now, our biggest needs are in the area of fundraising.  Safe Families not only prevents families from falling unnecessarily into the hands of the foster care system  but is also considered to be a child abuse prevention program.  In the past, Safe Families has been supported financially by means of prevention dollars--dollars that our state sets aside to assist prevention programs.  However, in recent months, our state has decided to disallow the continuance of these funds, leaving a significant deficit in our budget…and unfortunately we cannot do what we do without funding.

On average, our cost of helping a child is $150.00 and helping a family costs approximately $500.00  On the contrary, a child going into foster care costs about $1,200.00 - $1,300.00  The foster care system is a program that we do need!  However, some families want better for themselves and for their children…they just can't do it without support.  

Safe Families is embracing this change in funding and seeking the support of churches and benevolent people more than ever!  This organization is a movement that equips the church to re-engage with the weak, the needy and the fatherless…just as we were meant to do!  Our sustainability is falling largely into the hands of generous people and the church; and perhaps that is God's desire for us!

The current fundraising effort is to raise a much needed $10,000 for Safe Families of Madison County.  $5,000 of those dollars are match dollars, which means as soon as we are able to raise $5,000 in online donations, our match dollars will kick in.  You can click on the image on the right and go directly to our Safe Families of Madison County fundraising page, via Crowdrise.  Your willingness to do this will help shine love and peace into these kiddos and their families.  Please share this campaign after you give, doing so would help us out in two ways:

1.  Spread Awareness.  Whether you are local to Madison County or not, the word about Safe Families needs to get out there.  This is movement that seeks to start wherever willing hears and minds lie! 

2.  Gain Donations.  Please share via social media the fact that you donated through this campaign and a bit about why you decided to give to us.

Safe Families is only as strong as the people who step forward to support us with your time, your energy, your finances and your resources.  God has done incredible work here so far, and we know there is more to come!  Check out how Safe Families in Madison County got started and consider where you fit in.  

A Safe Family Adoption Story

In March of 2013 I received a respite need for a Grandmother with cancer.  Today, on October 9, 2014, I sat in a court room next to this Grandmother with cancer and watched her granddaughter wiggle in a seat next to me.  Anna turned to me and said, "Today I'm getting adopted. By them!" and jabbed a little 6 year old finger in the direction of two smiling parents who were anxiously awaiting a Judge to enter the room and make this family official.

The road to a happy ending is never easy, and this one had it's fair share of twists and bumps.  I was honored to share the ride with this family.  I first shared Anna's story in a blog post entitled A Grandmother's Journey, Part I.  Here the stage seemed to be set for an adoption to take place, but there were mountains to move (and rights to sever) before this child could be given a new forever home.

As God would have it, rights were severed under circumstances only God could orchestrate.  The journey continued and I wrote the next chapter in this tale: A Grandmother's Journey, Part II focusing on the moment when the Brown's invited both Anna AND Grandma into their lives forever.

If I were to write Part III, it would be entitled:  The Strange Things That Happen When People Act Like Jesus.  The Brown family made it clear that they were not just in the business of giving Anna a happy ending but Mary too.  Once Mary accepted the offer to move with Anna closer to this family that would eventually adopt her granddaughter, strange things started happening.  The act of kindness offered by the Brown family seemed too kind to some, and shortly after the move there was not one, but two reports to Child Protective Services.  Everyone involved in this story was taken aback and frustrated at the efforts being taken by others to misconstrue the intentions of this family.  It's sad that this story is so rare and alarming that others would not recognize it as God's work in the world, but would assume it's bent and twisted.

Fortunately, God's work was not thwarted, and today the Brown family grew from five to six.  We celebrate with the Brown family as they give a hope and future to a child that had none.

A New Definition of Fair

“What I would like to discuss is the is the topic of co-parenting between bio families and host families.”  Kristin Stayer shared her growing relationship with the father whose children her family served.  Safe Families provides a unique scenario where a 'bio family' or placing parent can choose to move toward the host family for support and gentle guidance when it comes to parenting.  Kristin and Eric modeled this idea extremely well when their four month placement was closing in and the boys were preparing to move home. 

“I don’t know how to do bath time and sticker charts and all that…” the father of the 3 boys confessed to the host family after the boys had gone home with Dad for the weekend and returned in the same clothes as when they left.  

Kristin Stayer

Kristin and Eric saw this as an opportunity God was giving them, and asked the father if he would like some help with tackling bedtime at home!  He quickly agreed and the three of them set up a time for Kristin and Eric to come to his home and they ALL would do bedtime together.

“At first the boys didn’t like us being there” Kristin confessed, “because they wanted to misbehave!”  The boys' dad explained to his two rowdy little boys that he and Kristin and Eric were all on the same team and they would all be in charge!  This type of support from the placing parent is not uncommon.  Our families are usually very grateful for the guidance and advice given to them by host family.

Such efforts at merging world’s with a placing parent is not uncommon among our incredible host families in Madison County.  Other host families have attended births when no one else would come, have donated furniture and household items for placing parents, have taken a single Mom job hunting and have thrown birthday parties when it seemed like no one else was going to.  

Sometimes we have families who are particularly gifted with hosting children who are more challenging.  The Lephart's are one such family.  They have chosen to be available for hosting difficult children as their primary focus, therefore their efforts with the bio parents are less of a focus.    Heather and her husband Noel have been given some challenging placements, and they have established a “way” with these kids that balances love and boundaries.  

Heather shared from her vantage point as an MSW who and has worked with at-risk youth and currently is a Certified Christian Life Coach at Ovid Community Church.  

Heather Lephart

“The first night of our family dinner," Heather explained, "Shaun wondered away from the table and into the other room during our time of sharing 'high’s and low’s'.  The second night he stood in the room next to us and just watched but didn't say a word.  The third night his sister joined us at our home as well, and he couldn’t wait to sit down at the table and tell her all about 'high’s and low’s!'"

Heather was able to help our host families understand that the kids who are placed in a new home are temporarily 'lost' and looking for some security and control.  Wandering away from the dinner table wasn't seen as a threat to her and Noel's family structure, but rather an opportunity to give a child (who likely has never been a part of a family dinner) time to observe before taking part.  Heather has shared with her own kids a new definition of the word 'fair':  

"Fair is making sure that each person gets what they need, not that each person gets the same thing."  

This motto captures the essence of why we do what we do.  We serve these families because of God’s kindness to us.  We give to others out of the gifts we have been given, and we give with an open hand.  

Thank you to Heather Lephart and Kristin Stayer for sharing your stories with us!  The Stayer's journey entitled 'A Host Family Perspective' is available for viewing under our Video's tab.    We look forward to doing it again on September 28, 2014 from 1-2:30 at Park Place Community Center!  Please join us if you are a current host family, a prospective host family, or looking to further engage your church.  Email ejohnson@safefamilies.net for info or questions.  

Our Host Family Forum 9-15-14

Host Family Forum - September 28, 2014

Are you curious about what it means to be a host family? Would you like to hear about other families' experience? Are you a person in your church who would like to get your church more involved?

Please attend our Host Family Forum to hear stories of service, receive training from an experienced host family and MSW, and find out how you can support the Safe Families Movement at your church!
As we move forward in Madison County, it is important that our families and churches share the same vision for the families we serve and carry the heartbeat of the movement in their service.

Join our Evite or Facebook Event and let us know which Forum you can attend! For more information or questions, contact Emma at ejohnson@safefamilies.net or 765-602-9892.