"We often look back at this critical moment and recognize what a blessing this team has been to our family. Their display of urgency and knowledge is what we, as foster parents, need. The CMFCAA training empowers, equips, and inspires parents to better serve families. While our case is still ongoing today, December 12, 2021, we will celebrate our 'Gotcha Day' with our first son as we graduate from the CMFCAA Spaulding Class with the hope to soon adopt our next. Thank you to the CMFCAA leadership, the team, and the donors for making all of this possible. The training we received and the connections made are things we will carry with us for a lifetime (p 12)." 

~Sincerely, Dustin & Sarah

 
 

CMFCAA had the privilege to attend and exhibit at the annual 2021 MJJA Conference in Branson, MO. AmeriCorps VISTAs, Meghan Baker and Lauren Fitch did a great job talking with attendees and passing out literature. The leadership team spent time learning and equipping themselves with knowledge to better serve our community. It was a long productive week of learning at workshops and spreading awareness about CMFCAA's work to the juvenile justice teams of MO. We are thankful for the opportunity to travel, learn, and grow!

 
 

Would you, or someone you know, like to join the CMFCAA Team
or become an AmeriCorps VISTA with us?

 
 

The CMFCAA Team was busy this month spreading awareness and sharing about the resources and services we offer, while also supporting the community at local events. It was a delight to get out into the community again and interact with businesses, organizations, and churches in the area. Thank you to each and every one who hosted us, invited us, or allowed us to participate as a sponsor.

Thank you First Baptist Church of Dixon for the invitation to present during Foster Care Awareness Month! Huge thanks to Kristen Hughes for the connection to Pastor Jack. Dixon we continue to enjoy the small town hospitality.

It was such a pleasure to attend the Callaway Chamber Annual Banquet as a sponsor. Callaway County steps up daily to protect the most vulnerable children.

Huge thanks to Viper Communications, Slumberland Furniture, and 93.5 Rocks for the On Site Broadcast at CMFCAA's Osage Beach office. We had so much fun and we are grateful to be able to share our great work with the community.

 

CMFCAA accepted an $18,000 check on behalf of foster, adoptive and kinship children this month!! Thank you, St. Louis Blues and Ameren Missouri Energy!! The St. Louis Blues scored 36 power play goals, raising a total of $18,000! CMFCAA earned the most votes during this year's Power Play Goals For Kids program. We are overwhelmed by the success of this fundraiser and so thankful to all of those who voted for us!

 
 

Direct Services Takes a Trip on a Pirate Ship!

CMFCAA's Direct Services team has been working hard as ever providing vital resources to children and families in need. While they continue to serve foster, adoptive, and kinship families by providing resources and giving away Begin Again Backpacks and Care Packs, they are also continuing to schedule fun and educational Odyssey events so foster parents and caregivers can get a break while kids play and learn. Keep reading to see how May's Jolly Rogers Odyssey event went!

 

The Jolly Rogers Odyssey event surprised us all in the best possible way! Direct Services resource coordinators went on a harrowing pirate ship adventure right alongside the kids and Odyssey volunteers! It was a night to remember as we sailed across the lake to find hidden treasure and walked mutinous pirates off the plank! Kids, volunteers, and coordinators alike had so much fun and we couldn't be more thankful to the staff of Jolly Rogers for making the event a total success. Make sure to register your kids for our upcoming Odyssey events starting up again the beginning of July.

"We joined Captain Blood Red Cortez and Gunpowder Gayle aboard the pirate ship Calypso, kicking off Odyssey at the Lake of the Ozarks. Our young sailors learned how to recognize fellow pirates on the open water! We even survived an attempted mutiny and made the scallywag walk the plank! Once we located the treasure, the booty was divided amongst the crew, making every young pirate aboard the ship happy." ~ Direct Services Supervisor, Christal

 

Below is the Calendar of July Odyssey Events!

 

Backpack Donation

"Meet Emily. Emily is AMAZING! Emily found a bag of backpacks in the backroom of the store where she works. They hadn’t processed and donated them where they typically do so they were just sitting there. Emily asked if she could instead donate them to this cool local organization that helps foster, adoptive, and kinship families (*hint* that's us, CMFCAA). She talked to some of her coworkers about this great cause and someone else told her that they also had backpacks that hadn’t been processed yet. Emily showed up at the Osage Beach office last week with 115 backpacks for us to use for our Begin Again Backpack program!! AND she dropped off paperwork so she can start serving with CMFCAA as a volunteer! We already love Emily!" ~ Direct Services Resource Coordinator, Kim

 
 

HUGE Backpack Donation!

 
 

The Kinship Navigator Department Implements Parent Cafés

The Kinship Navigator Department’s recent endeavor has been implementing Parent Cafés as a support group for kinship and relative caregivers. Typically, these groups are used for natural parents (often court ordered as parenting classes), but the KN Department decided it would be a good fit for our families as well! The KN Department held its first ever Parent Café with Deb Ferguson’s Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group on Wednesday, May 12th at our Regional Training Center. The overall response to this initial meeting was positive and we plan to continue holding these gatherings to support kinship families.

The Grandparents Raising Grandchildren Support Group was established by Deb Ferguson and meets every 2nd Wednesday of the month from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at CMFCAA’s Regional Training Center.

 
 

CCYP Client goes from Dumpster Diving to Sleeping in a New Bed!

"Raylynn was referred to The Central Missouri Foster Care and Adoption Association’s Community Connections Youth Project (CCYP) in February of this year by Every Childs Hope. When we met Raylynn, she was transitioning from a group home at Great Circle to live independently. Because she did not have all of the items she needed, she would find items in the dumpster outside of her apartment. In a conversation with her  CCYP specialist, Raylynn disclosed that she was sleeping on a mattress she found in the dumpster. She expressed that the springs from her mattress were protruding and often poked her while she slept. Her specialist took immediate action and provided Raylynn with a brand-new full-size mattress and frame. Raylynn was extremely grateful to receive these items, and told her specialist how comfortable she is now.  Raylynn continues to work with the CCYP program and with help from her specialist, she has now passed her permit exam! We are so proud of Raylynn, and the other youth like her who continue to press on despite impossible circumstances." ~CCYP Supervisor, David Trammell

 
 
 

To see past Family Focus newsletters and find out more about what kind of events we organize, click the link below.

Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption Association
809 Swifts Hwy.  | Jefferson City, Missouri 65109
573-298-0258 | info@mofosteradopt.com

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