As a foster care recruiter in Northwest and Western Oklahoma, I see the impacts foster parents have on their community each day. Whether it’s singing a child to sleep to soften sorrowful tears or celebrating the milestones biological parents make on their path to reunification our foster parents pour into the lives of the children and families they serve daily.
Being a foster parent is hard work and we don’t have enough foster families to serve the needs of every child who comes into state custody. Being a child who is removed from your home and everything you’ve known due to neglect or abuse is also hard, and we need foster families who are willing to walk alongside children and families as they navigate and grow through what may be some of the most difficult times in their lives. If you choose to step into this, you need to know I’ll be with you every step of the way, along with a host of others on my team and in the community who are there to cheer you and the family you’re serving onto success.
Our hope is that, over time, our cheers will be joined by the sound of ultimate success-the bang of a judge’s gavel and the proclamation of a closed case and a reunified family. When that happens, it means the family has worked incredibly hard, with the support of their team, to correct the safety concerns that caused a judge to order the children into state custody in the first place.
There are times, unfortunately, despite everyone’s best efforts, when the sound of a judge’s gavel may have a more bittersweet clang. If a family is unable to correct safety concerns, a judge may say that children can’t go back home and our agency is charged to help guide them onto other types of permanency including adoption or guardianship. This chance for a new start is often also a time of great despair for many of the children in our care. Still, we know hope can grow in even the darkest of spaces and our foster families are often asked to nurture that hope as the child’s new adoptive parents.
Whether through foster care, reunification, or adoption, hope is amplified through the thoughtful works of an engaged community. Our amazing community partners, sister agencies, and faith-based organizations create pathways for families to follow as they rebuild their lives with safety and support at the forefront. if foster care isn’t right for you today, I can most assuredly say there is seat for you at our table. You can find plenty of opportunities to get involved on the Raise Awareness page of our website at OKFosters.org, or by calling me at 580-744-0049.
Together, we have the opportunity to create a symphony of hope for the children and families in our community. I can’t wait for you to join me.
Article courtesy of Roxanne Freeman. Freeman is a foster care recruiter for Oklahoma Human Services in Woodward, Dewey, Ellis, Beckham and Roger Mills Counties.
