 |  |  | "It has been incredible to witness the transformation that can take place in a young person's life when our organizations team up! The Rolla Mission works to help people struggling with homelessness. However, young adults who are coming out of Foster Care often need more specialized care than we can offer. This is where our partnership with CMFCAA has been instrumental. Most recently, we had a young woman come in who had aged out of Foster Care. She was homeless, with no income, and nowhere to go. We got her connected with CMFCAA; and she immediately was able to get a place to stay, a job, and is now working with her caseworker to set goals and achieve the life she has always dreamed of. We are so grateful for our partnership with CMFCAA; and we are excited to continue working together to help some of the most vulnerable members in our society." - Ashley Brooks (Executive Director of The Rolla Mission) | | | |  |  | CMFCAA was able to participate in the annual Lake Ozark St. Patrick's Day Parade! AmeriCorps VISTAs, Meghan and Lauren, along with our Kinship Navigator Program Supervisor, Crystal, decorated one of the company cars to drive through the parade. They passed out hundreds of rack cards and threw tons of candy to the happy bystanders. It was a chilly day, but our staff made the best of it! We are excited to continue spreading awareness in the central Missouri community. | | Would you, or someone you know, like to join the CMFCAA Team
or become an AmeriCorps Vista with us? | | | | | | |  | CMFCAA was overwhelmed by the generosity of the Central Missouri community this past month! The Community Foundation of the Lake gave a $1,000 Covid Relief Grant, Direct Services received supplies for the Begin Again Backpacks from GFI Digital in Jefferson City, and the ingredients for our Spring Dinner Care Packs were donated by caring families. A local Norwex consultant, Jenni, even donated over $200 from her business! We are so thankful for how the community comes together to keep our organization running. We couldn't serve the foster, adoptive, and kinship youth without your help! | | | | | | | | | | |  | Ready, Set, Fly! “Ready! Set! GO!” And off they go into adulthood unsure of what’s to come. Hopeful and afraid, and often unprepared after the years of turmoil they have known growing up in the Foster Care System. After bouncing from home to home, security is all but unknown to most children in the system. This is why we provide the Ready, Set, Fly trainings. In these courses, we offer the 5-hour certified training needed for resource parents who have young adults and teens in their care. This training provides caregivers with creative strategies for teaching teens the necessary life skills they will need to live independently. That way, when they spread their wings and fly, they will have the skills needed to thrive! | | | | "Through the Ready Set Fly training, I learned about additional resources I can use to help my teens, like the Chafee Foster Care Program for Successful Transition to Adulthood. I also liked the guide that had examples and suggestions for a variety of age groups. I loved the flexibility of having class virtually. I did not have to find alternate care for my younger child and during lunch, I was able to take my teens to their first baseball game. I feel a little more prepared now that I know what is most important to teach my teens and preteen. This is especially helpful because my eldest is already 17. I am new to fostering (just over 3 months) and my first placement was 3 brothers; ages 12, 15, and 17." Thank you! ~Nicole | | | | | | | | |  | An "Angel" Walks Into the Life of a Desperate Grandfather When our Kinship Navigator first met him, he had been raising his four grandchildren for the past 4 years. The reason? His daughter had tragically become addicted to drugs. After the challenges of Covid and the harsh winter, he was struggling with bills and the finances needed to raise four children. The proud grandfather shared that his oldest grandchild is top of his class, the second oldest is a Cross Country runner, and the younger two are grandpa’s helpers at the house. He had lost his wife a year ago and was now the sole caretaker of his grandchildren. After he had called nearly 20 organizations, Birthright International; an organization that typically assists expecting mothers with medical support, financial resources, counseling and other services, stated that they understood and would help. They agreed to assist with part of his electric bill and CMFCAA’s Kinship Navigator program paid the remaining portion, which allowed his electric to remain on and helped him become caught up on his bills. This humble and hardworking grandfather said numerous times that the assistance of CMFCAA had "been a blessing" and that the Kinship Navigator who met with him was "like an angel coming into his life". He thanked her repeatedly for not judging him or his daughter and for providing the extra assistance they needed. "There are faults in the systems developed to assist foster, adoptive and kinship children that are being revamped and improved upon every day. The support CMFCAA and the Kinship Navigator Program provides to all those we serve, particularly those who are not “eligible” to the benefits afforded to formally placed children, has been vital when it comes to giving assistance to the vulnerable when all hope seems lost. It has been an honor to meet the families I’ve assisted as a Kinship Navigator. I feel it is the privilege of my calling." ~CMFCAA Kinship Navigator | | | | "A big “thank you” to Kristin and the CMFCAA for all they have done for me and my grandson! I have been his guardian since he was three months old and he is now 10. I am 71 and still working as a housekeeper During the COVID outbreak, my clients wouldn't let me into their houses to clean which I totally understood! This meant that I lost most of my income for 3 months. With the help of the CMFCAA’s Kinship Navigator Program, I was able to pay for my utilities, groceries, and clothes. We were able to make it through! Now, I have almost all of my housekeeping clients back and am cleaning houses again. My grandson started school with new clothes and school supplies, and he was so happy! The Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association’s Kinship Navigator program was truly a God Send! Thank you, I truly appreciate it more than words can say." Sincerely and Gratefully, ~Shirley | | | | "I want to begin by saying how thankful I am for all CMFCAA has done for us! In July of 2019, I received a call telling me that my granddaughter had been taken into care by the state because my daughter was in an unsafe environment. Her caseworker brought her to us and informed me of everything I needed to do. I remember feeling so scared because I was already a single mother raising three teenage boys alone. CMFCAA stepped in and made me feel at ease. Providing an ear to listen, a shoulder to cry on, helpful advice, support groups (with others just like me!), and a reminder that I wasn’t alone. CMFCAA was also there to assist with diapers, our electric bill, and food vouchers!" Thank you! ~Michelle | | | | | | | | |  | "I want to thank The Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association so much! They have helped me see that I really can become anything I want. CMFCAA has helped me get my dream job! They enrolled me in a program that will pay for my education and helped get me a laptop so I can learn online. Before I came to them, I didn't think I would do anything but work in the fast food industry. Now, I am working as a vet tech! Something I've wanted to be since I was an eight-year-old girl. Thank you so much. I hope CMFCAA can help many more young adults find what they want to do for a future career and help them do it." ~CCYP Client, Chauntayah | | | | | | | | | | | | Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption Association
809 Swifts Hwy. | Jefferson City, Missouri 65109
573-298-0258 | info@mofosteradopt.com | | | | | | | | | | | |
