Could Christopher be Part of Your Family?

Case #:

VA01312535

Status:

Active

Case #	Name	Age	Gender	Race	State	Last Update
VA01312535	Christopher	10	M	African American/Black	VA	10/28/08

 

Name: Christopher
Case #: VA01312535

About Christopher

English Public Narrative
Mention anything about “sports” and you will really get this youngster’s attention! Christopher is an endearing little boy from an African American/Hispanic heritage. He is a gifted athlete. Sports is his passion, and he especially loves playing football! He enjoys watching sports and has a good knowledge of the teams and players. Christopher has positive relationships with his siblings who are currently residing in other foster homes, and he enjoys spending time with them. Continuing these relationships will be beneficial for him. Christopher has experienced trauma in his young life and is learning how to overcome his feelings of anger, grief and loss. He may have issues to resolve, but he also has a lot of love to give. If you think you can make an unconditional commitment to him, Christopher would like to meet you. This youngster needs to experience a secure, stable and loving environment where he is valued as a son. Most of all, he needs to know that he is finally home to stay.
 

 

 

Contact your local DSS

November is National Adoption Awareness Month

Overview of Adoption:

Adoption is a lifelong, life-changing journey for all members of the adoption triad: birth parents, adopted people, and adoptive parents. Adoption, the legal transfer of parental rights from one parent to another, provides children with love, nurturance, and stability and promotes their well-being and their opportunity to become healthy, productive adults.

In the United States adoption is governed by State law, although State law must comply with overarching Federal legislation.

Adoption is essential for the permanency of many children, including:

• Children and youth in foster care who will not be reunited with their birth parents. In many cases these children are adopted by other birth relatives.
• Other U.S. infants and children whose birth parents make adoption plans for them. Birth mothers or fathers may or may not have ongoing contact with the adoptive family or child.
• Children in other countries who need families. In intercountry adoptions, little or no information may be known about a child’s birth family at the time of adoption.

Public agencies place foster children for adoption. Private agencies sometimes contract with the public child welfare agency to place foster children; they also may place U.S. infants, or children from other countries. In some States, facilitators (attorneys, physicians, or other intermediaries) may coordinate adoptions without an agency’s involvement.

Research demonstrates that most children who are adopted thrive. With training and support, the most ordinary people have grown into their roles as adoptive parents with amazing results. These parents clearly show that adoption is one path to the love, stability, and nurturing all children need.

Pray about it!

Ronnie

Adoption Is Greater Than The Universe!

John Piper is one of Americas Great Preachers. Here he shares how Adoption is God’s Idea.

Blessings

Ronnie

Foster Care Adoption Facts

James 1:27 (The Message)

 26-27Anyone who sets himself up as “religious” by talking a good game is self-deceived. This kind of religion is hot air and only hot air. Real religion, the kind that passes muster before God the Father, is this: Reach out to the homeless (children without a home, added by Ronnie) and loveless in their plight, and guard against corruption from the godless world.

 

 

 

On any given day in North America, nearly 600,000 children are in the foster care system, and more than 150,000 of them are available for adoption, just waiting for the right family to find them.

• There are 510,000 children in the U.S. foster care system; 129,000 of these children are available for adoption.

• More children become available for adoption each year than are adopted. In 2006, 79,000 children had parental rights terminated by the courts, yet only 51,000 were adopted.

• A child in foster care can wait up to five years to be adopted.

• The average age of the child waiting to be adopted from foster care is eight years old.

• The average number of months a child waiting to be adopted has been in foster care is 39 months.

• Each year, 20% of children (26,517 in 2006) exit foster care at age 18 without an adoptive family.

• According to a National Adoption Attitudes Survey commissioned by the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, 63 percent of Americans hold a favorable view of adoption and 78 percent think more should be done to encourage adoption.

• Nearly 40 percent of American adults, or 81.5 million people, have considered adopting a child, according to the National Adoption Attitudes Survey. If just one in 500 of these adults adopted, every waiting child in foster care would have a permanent family.

 

NOTE: Statistical source is Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System; Department of Health & Human Services (January 2008), unless otherwise stipulated.

Every Child Needs Love!

 

Every Child Needs Love. One of the greatest ministries we could ever have is to give a child a home, to love them and give them a family.

In my days of working with children who were displaced from their families, I came to understand that we don’t do enough as Christians to take care of the major problem, right here in our own front yard.

I have done something about that, I adopted Michael. The truth is that Michael is one of the greatest blessings that has ever come into my life. I don’t feel like I did him a favor by adopting him, I feel like we are both blessed and the blessing continues. Because of Michael, I have been blessed, my family has been blessed, our church has been blessed, and our community has been blessed. It just continues, the numbers of lives that have been touched by Michael are countless and Misty and I can’t wait until we are able to adopt again.

Maybe your family could consider caring for a child in need of a family. I have lots of resources if you are interested in learning more about foster parenting and adoption.

 

I am praying for Laborers!

 

Ronnie

My Hat Is Off To All Who Care For The Children!

Nearly 8,000 children are in foster care in Virginia Alone.  Approximately 50 percent are 13 and older. These children are in urgent need of foster parents and, for many of them, a “forever family.

Help me to pray for the Children.

Ronnie

Children Need A Forever Family

Foster parents needed around the state

 

OK, I know that many of you reading this blog are teens and you are not in the situation or the mind frame to adopt or foster a child, however, your parents may be. Maybe you need to let your parent know that you would be Great with the idea of having another person in the family!

After working with youth and teens in local churches for the past 15 years, then at a Children’s Home for 5 years, there is such a need. Every child deserves a home of their own where they have a mom and dad and even brothers and sisters to call their own.

 

May is National Foster Care Month

Exciting things are happening at FUMC Hillsville and taking care of children who need families is one of the things happening.

In July and August we will be having something called “Heart Galleries” in our church. We will be doing several things to promote Adoption and Foster Care.

Be in prayer as we teach families about the needs and they are many. Also, you your family would consider the opportunity to adopt, go see your local Department of Social Services and get a Home Study started, it will save time.

Ronnie

First Lady works for strong foster care programs; May is National Foster Care Month

 

Richmond, Va. – Nearly 8,000 children are in foster care throughout the Commonwealth.  Approximately 50 percent are 13 and older. These children are in urgent need of foster parents and, for many of them, a “forever family.”

 

The Virginia Department of Social Services (VDSS) is asking families, couples and individuals to open up their hearts and homes to a foster child. 

 

First Lady Anne Holton created the For Keeps foster care initiative in 2007.  It was founded on the belief that every child deserves and needs a “forever family.” Under her leadership, a number of foster care reform efforts were successfully passed this year.   

 

“As a juvenile court judge, I met so many older teens in foster care trying to navigate the adult world without the stable family foundations that so many of us rely on,” First Lady Holton said. “For Keeps focuses on ensuring older children in foster care have permanent family connections and community support to help them develop into successful, independent adults.”

 

The goal of Virginia ‘s foster care program is to maintain family unity and ensure that all children grow up in safe, stable homes. “There is no ‘typical’ foster child, but they all desire a permanent, loving home.  This is especially true for older children, teens and siblings,” said VDSS Commissioner Anthony Conyers Jr .

 

The need for loving foster parents is ongoing for both short and long-term placements.  Local departments of social services offer training for families and individuals interested in becoming foster parents.  To learn more about making a positive difference in a child’s life, visit http://www.dss.virginia.gov/family/fc/index.html or contact your local department of social services.