Poppy, only 4 years old, has had her whole world turned upside down. Poppy’s parents lost custody of her siblings. Poppy has now been placed in foster care with, Paul and Kerry, an Agape Resource Family*. Her dad is in prison and mom has neglected and abused her. No one has cared for Poppy until now.
While Poppy is an incredibly sweet child, she still struggles with tantrums and big feelings. As you can imagine, dealing with the abuse she has been through, it is not easy for her to process it all. Thankfully, she is receiving therapy to help her navigate these feelings and learn healthy coping skills that will last her a lifetime.
Since coming in to care and receiving all the love and support Poppy has from Paul and Kerry, as well as her Agape social worker, we have seen a huge improvement in Poppy. She is enjoying preschool and looking forward to starting kindergarten in the Fall. Poppy is a little spitfire, full of energy and always sharing thoughts and stories. Her foster family loves spending time with her and she brings so much joy to their home. If you were to go visit with her you would quickly be on the ground playing Barbies and laughing.
We are not sure what her future will hold, but for now, she is safe with a loving Agape family to care for her. We are so thankful for our resource families that open their homes and hearts to kids in need, like Poppy.
That is where I need YOUR help! We have a critically low number of resource parents certified. We turned away more than 1,700 kids last year, because we didn’t have homes for them to go to. It breaks my heart every time we have to say “No” to a child in need.
I have a goal of raising $75,000 in the month of May. Since May is Foster Care Awareness month, I thought it was perfect timing! Help us find more healthy homes for kids like Poppy!
We are so thankful to be given a match for the first $50,000 donated in May by credit card! Use the QR code and we will receive 50 cents for every dollar donated from the Community Health and Education Foundation (CHEF), up to $25,000 match!
In 2023 we lost 10 resource families due to moving, adoptions or other reasons. This is a huge loss for us and part of the reason for turning away so many kids. Finding resource families is a critical need and we cannot do this without your help.
Every child deserves a safe loving place where they know they will be cared for and even have people to play Barbies with.
Not everyone can open their home and we understand that. But anyone can donate to help us find and certify new resource families!
Can I count on you to help change lives like Poppy?
I know you care about children in need. I am so thankful to be able to write to you today. Please help us.
For the kids,
Janet Kleyn, President