 | | | This past month, CMFCAA's leadership team was able to attend the 2021 CAFO Summit! The event was held in Cincinnati, OH this year and the team had a wonderful time exploring the city during down time. When in sessions, the team learned about adoption and trauma, international adoption (the pros and cons), and the healing power of love and restoration. The theme of the conference this year was "WITH" best described by this beautiful excpert from the CAFO website, "following a year defined by separation and distance — we find ourselves longing for this togetherness... Taking joy in being with one another again. Giving, receiving and learning how to most fully be with the hurting in ways that effectively heal and wisely restore. That will be a precious WITH indeed." | | | | | | | | Would you, or someone you know, like to join the CMFCAA Team
or become an AmeriCorps VISTA with us? | | | |  | | | CMFCAA Receives Donation from Community! CMFCAA was blessed to receive a large donation from a local community member and her family. Aside from the clothes, toys, and toiletries, she also brought leftover gift bags from a recent charity which included artesian handmade soap and other goodies! We are so thankful for each donation we receive! We truly could not do what we do without the continued support and donations from our community. Thank you! If you, or someone you know are interested in donating clothes, toiletry items, or toys, we now take donations at The Trunk Clothing Closet which is typically open on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 12pm until 4pm. You can also call ahead and schedule a time to drop off if that works best for you. | | | | | | | |  | | |  | Volunteer Program Update! | | September was a month to remember for CMFCAA and the volunteer program! We officially kicked off our new volunteer management system, CERVIS, with great success. Currently, we have over 100 volunteers registered and serving in some capacity. Below are some highlights from the events that took place in September. United Way Days of Caring – This month we also had two separate groups of volunteers support us from various businesses in the Jefferson City community thanks to United Way and their annual Days of Caring. The groups sorted through mountains of clothing and toy donations at the Clothing Closet to help us switch from summer to winter clothing for our families! Missouri Association of Insurance Agents – This organization was not able to volunteer during Days of Caring with United Way but they were bound and determined to help anyway! Their assistance in finishing up a large part of the seasonal swap at The Trunk made a huge impact! Volunteer Appreciation Events – Saying thank you is the easiest way to show how much you appreciate your volunteers! We hosted two separate appreciation events in Osage Beach and Columbia where volunteers enjoyed connecting with one another over some food and great conversations! | | | | | | | | | |  | | | | |  | Movie Night with Direct Services! In September, Direct Services held an Odyssey at the Columbia ARC and a Movie Day at Lake West Cinema! At Lake West Cinema, we watched How to Train Your Dragon, which was a good time for both families and volunteers! The staff at the theater were awesome to work with and the volunteers did an amazing job helping the kiddos get their treats at the concession counter and get situated in the theater. We have also been preparing for Halloween Care Packs. We have tons of Costumes ready to go and over 150 kiddos registered to pick up! Below are some heartfelt testimonials from the last month. “I sincerely appreciate all of your hard work, and the kindness and support you show to our foster, adoptive and kinship families.” ~A “The movie was so good! Thanks!” ~D.O. | | | | | | | | | | The Trunk Clothing Closet | |  | The Trunk Clothing Closet has an over abundance of baby girl clothing! If you are in need of some, please head over and pick some up. Winter coats, other winter-wear, and Fall clothing are also in stock now! Go get what you need before the col weather settles in. Open hours will be posted on CMFCAA's Facebook page so keep a look out! The Direct Services team has been working diligently to wash, organize, and stock clothing donations at the Trunk Clothing Closet so it will be ready for our foster, adoptive, and kinship families to get what they need. If you have any questions regarding the Trunk, please contact Christal Jones at christal@mofosteradopt.com. Also, if you would like to help our staff in the clothing closet with organization and setup, please consider volunteering! We rely on our faithful volunteers to help us manage the process at our clothing closet. Address of The Trunk Clothing Closet: 2701 W. Main St., Jefferson City, MO 65109 | | | |  | Registration is open now for our Halloween Costume Care Packs! | | | | | |  | Direct Services had partnered with Fischer Farms to organize a family event for October! if you are interested in attending, please click the link below. Contact Libby with questions at (573)645-3072 or libby@mofosteradopt.com. | | | | | | | | | | |  | | | Family Development Department CMFCAA's Family Development Department remains committed to serving our families by offering trainings and support to loving families who are working toward becoming a foster or adoptive family to foster children. Read about some of the recent accomplishments within the FD Department below! We are going to let these testimonials speak for themselves: "Thank you so much for sending us resources! We both really enjoyed the training. Out of the STARS, Spaulding, TBRI and Level A Training, we both thought this was the most useful training we've gone through. Our favorite aspect, as I said in class, is the personal anecdotes. They really help to tie in concepts and give real life examples of situations and how to deal with them. Oftentimes, in the middle of a meltdown, I find myself not knowing what to do. So hearing other experiences, especially from seasoned individuals is very helpful. So thanks for that." ~ Family Development Clients "I just wanted to let you know how much we have enjoyed the classes. We have taken CPR/First Aid and the STARS Caregiver class with Sam and are looking forward to the practical CPR class on August 11th and the STARS adoption class on September 11th & 12th. Sam has not only been very informative during the classes but also easy to understand. Her teaching style is fun and to the point." ~ Family Development Clients | | | | | | | |  | | |  | Community Connections Youth Project® | | Our CCYP® staff accompanied two different clients to appointments with the Columbia Housing Authority. During these appointments, both youth were provided with FYI housing vouchers which will give them housing for up to 36 months! One youth was already housed, and successfully submitted the voucher to their current landlord. The team will assist the other individual with finding an apartment in Columbia that will accept the voucher. "CCYP® staff also completed five intakes for new clients so more young people will have access to resources and services. We presented about our organization and program to the Miller County Children’s Division to raise awareness about what we offer for youth. Program staff were also able to provide emergency housing for one client. CCYP® responded to one youth who was in crisis and facing homelessness." ~ David CCYP® Supervisor | | | | | | | | |  | Kinship Navigator Department We are so proud of our Kinship Navigator Department! This September, our KN Specialist, Kristin Hughes, received a recognition award for her work In-Office and as a Kinship Navigator. She is pictured below being presented with her award by our Rolla 30-Days to Family® Supervisor, Tamara Fish. The Kinship Navigation Team also set up a table at the first Eldon Home Football Game of the Season to spread awareness about the resources and services we have to offer our community! | |  | | | | | | | |  | 30 Days to Family® On September 2nd, the 30 Days to Family® team attended a lunch meeting with Cornerstones of Care to share about CMFCAA's services and exchange departmental wisdom. The next day, our 30-Days to Family® Department Supervisor setup and worked a table at the Rolla Bulldog Pride night and met with several potential future foster families. She was even able to set a meeting with the Bank of Missouri about sponsorships! On September13th -17th 2021, CMFCAA Leadership attended the CAFO Conference in Cincinnati. This was a week-long conference where several new connections were developed and much was learned by all. Pictures below! | | | | | |  | | | Annual Gala Tickets are Available Now! | |  | 13TH ANNUAL GALA & AUCTION Tickets are now available! Please consider joining us at the Capitol Plaza Hotel for our Annual Gala. This year, our theme, “My Missing Piece” illustrates how important our kids are to foster, adoptive and kinship families. The Gala occurs during Adoption Awareness Month this year and our focus is on adoption and the beauty of providing safe homes for abused and neglected children. We will have live music, speakers sharing local stories from adoptive families, and a delicious full meal and drinks. There will also be both live & silent auctions with epic packages and price items! All proceeds will go toward CMFCAA as we support foster, adoptive, and kinship children and families in Central Missouri. | | | | | | | | | Click the link below to see past Family Focus newsletters and learn more about our organization. | |  | | | | | Central Missouri Foster Care & Adoption Association
809 Swifts Hwy. | Jefferson City, Missouri 65109
573-298-0258 | info@mofosteradopt.com | | | | | | | | | | | |
