DEFENDER Issue 27
A Thank You from 4KIDS President Kevin Enders 4KIDS Defenders! I want to extend a special thank you to all of you who have continued to faithfully and generously partner with 4KIDS during this season. In the midst of a lot of unknowns these past few months, you have continued to prioritize your support for kids in our community. None of these incredible stories or smiling faces would be possible without you. Thank you for continuing on in your passion to provide hope, homes, and healing to kids! Until Every Child Has a Home, Kevin Enders 4KIDS President 2 2 |ďťż |ďťż
TABLE OF CONTENTS Your Impact in Action. . . . . . . . . . . . . Hundreds of Backpacks Given Away at 4KIDS Back to School Bashes
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Dedicated Defenders . . . . . . . . . . . . . Jennifer & Jonathan Williams
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Saving Lives, Two at A Time . . . . . . . . 6-7 His Caring Place House Mom Reflects on Maternity Program Brought Together by Love. . . . . . . . . . 8-9 When Chriselle Became A Clark Get Involved With Us . . . . . . . . . . . . . Monthly Initiatives and Gift Planning Feature
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YOUR IMPACT IN ACTION Hundreds of Backpacks Given Away at 4KIDS Back to School Bashes Year after year, we are always blown away by the generosity of the 4KIDS community for our Back to School Drive, and despite the financial challenges many are facing due to COVID-19, 2020 was no different! Because of you, 146 foster and adoptive families were able to receive backpacks, diaper bags, and school supplies to help them start the school year off strong. Families in Broward and the Treasure Coast had the opportunity to pick-up their items at drive-thru events where they were served by energetic staff and volunteers. Palm Beach families were able to pick up items at their regional 4KIDS office, where they also received gift cards to local restaurants. One 4KIDS Parent shared, “Our kids had a blast picking up their school backpacks…they always look forward to this day and it was just amazing!” With every pre-filled backpack having a value of at least $50, these tangible gifts helped to relieve the burden many families (especially those with multiple children) tend to face once summer comes to a close. It was your faithful giving that made this possible!
“This event was such a blessing, especially with everything going on in our world. Thank you for gifting our kids with awesome new backpacks!” - 4KIDS Adoptive Parent
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Dedicated Defenders
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Our family has been blessed to be friends with several foster
Jennifer and Jonathan Williams
families and through serving on our church’s childcare team, we have seen the positive, lasting impact a 4KIDS family can have on a child in foster care. Several years ago, we took the classes to become foster parents but soon recognized that due to the busy season of life we were in, we wouldn’t be able to give our full attention to fostering. We then began volunteering and saw firsthand what an amazing impact can be had in the life of a child and how caring, loving, and invested the 4KIDS staff and volunteers were towards these kids. We became 4KIDS Defenders because even if we can’t ever be foster parents, we can do something. If giving up a few Starbucks runs changes even the life of one child, then that is a Kingdom impact we should all get behind. Knowing we are a small part of what God is doing at 4KIDS is a humbling privilege. My husband proudly wears his Defender t-shirt around, and we are blessed to know that we are actively doing something about the foster care crisis in our community. God takes our small monthly gift, and we get to watch Him multiply it. Prayerfully, our gift will impact not just one child, but their entire lineage for years to come.
- 4KIDS Defender, Jennifer Williams
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Saving Lives, Two at A His Caring Place’s Most Recent House Mom, Andrea Burgess, Reflects On Maternity Program For over thirty years, 4KIDS’ His Caring Place (HCP) has been providing critical support to young women facing unplanned pregnancies in a residential setting. Andrea, affectionately called “Miss A” by the girls, was the full-time house parent at HCP for the last five years. After serving as a missionary in Nicaragua for 8 years, Andrea returned to the States in February 6
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2015 and was looking for her next ministry opportunity. “I heard about a position opening at 4KIDS so I got online and applied. After my phone interview, they asked me to come in person to interview for the house parent position at HCP," Andrea shared. When Andrea moved into HCP, she had more experience working with young children than she did with pregnant teenagers and young women.
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Over the years, however, she was able to see how some of her past experiences allowed her to relate and build relationship with the girls.
Oftentimes, the young women would remark that they had never been celebrated in such a way before.
“As a child I was exposed to violence and abuse which led to some poor decision making when I was a young adult. The saying, ‘you can’t take someone where you haven’t been,’ became so true in my role as a house parent. I was able to minister to these girls out of my deepest pain,” Andrea added.
In total, 36 young ladies were under Andrea’s care at HCP. She hopes that each of those young women took with them the practical skills needed to be able to complete their education, get a good job,, be financially responsible, and safely care for themselves and their babies. Most importantly, she hopes that they continue to pursue true spiritual healing and redemption through God.
Some of her most cherished memories at HCP include planning birthday outings, creating annual traditions, and attending the girl’s graduation ceremonies. Yet it wasn’t just the girls’ big milestones that Andrea and the HCP staff met with celebration— any small step towards their goals while in the program was accompanied with “pizzazz and praise,” as Andrea says.
As HCP continues on, we will now be extending this life-changing support to young women who are already mothers. In addition to welcoming in young ladies experiencing an unplanned, crisis pregnancy, HCP will also offer young moms a place to belong with their little ones. |
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BROUGHT TOGETHER BY LOVE When Chriselle Became A Clark Missy still remembers bringing her little girl home from the hospital like it was yesterday. When her and her husband, Wendell, began fostering through 4KIDS Treasure Coast in 2014, Chriselle was the first child they welcomed into their home. When Missy laid eyes on her for the first time, Chriselle had been in the NICU for four weeks without one visitor. From what felt like one instant to the next, Missy was soon being brought out to her car in a wheelchair with this tiny baby wrapped in her arms. “As the nurses helped me load the car with all the formula, bottles and diapers, they kept asking me if I knew what I was doing…so many times that I actually started to get nervous,” Missy recalled.
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Though Missy already had two kids of her own, the nurses explained that Chriselle had been drugexposed and would need a lot of extra attention. Over the next two and a half years, the Clark’s fell in love with Chriselle. They bonded with her and helped her work through her sensory issues. Every week, they drove her to visit with her sister, who was being raised by her maternal grandmother, and to her many doctors appointments. After 19 months and many court dates later, Chriselle’s case plan goal was changed by the courts from reunification to adoption. “Once we realized that it was possible that she would need a forever home there was no hesitation that we wanted to be her forever family,” Missy shared.
In March of 2017, Chriselle officially became a Clark. Since her adoption, the Clark’s have continued to nurture and develop Chriselle’s relationships with her birth mother’s family. Chriselle is continuously involved in the lives of her sister, cousins, aunts, uncles and grandparents. “We always tell Chriselle that she was chosen. We speak openly about how she came into the world and how she ended up in our family. Her biological family calls us their ‘family’ and we’re honored be able to do the same,” Missy added.
“God sets the lonely in families.” - Psalm 68:6
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G E T I N VO LV E D WITH US
Champions 4KIDS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Get together with other Christian business executives monthly to EPIC Training Now Offered Virtually. collaborate on different 4KIDS initiatives! Meetings occur in Broward, Discover tools to help you work with kids Palm Beach, and the Treasure Coast. who have experienced trauma. Learn how to For more details, contact Joel at parent from a relationship-based approach! JoelC@4KIDS.us. This free and informative training occurs online over two days. For upcoming dates, visit 4KIDS.us/EPIC/Training.
Young Advocates 4KIDS. . . . . . . . . .
Join a Vision Tour Online . . . . . . . . . . . . . This group is made up of young From the comfort of your own home, you can experience a walk-through of our main headquarters, hear stories of transformed lives, and learn all about what makes 4KIDS unique. To sign up for the next tour, visit 4KIDS.us/VisionTour. 10
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professionals and college students who host fundraisers, organize service projects, and put on social events to benefit 4KIDS. To learn more about YA4K, reach out to Katelynn at KatelynnT@4KIDS.us.
GIFT PLANNING Creating Your Lasting Legacy for Kids in Our Community Everyone wants to leave their mark on the world, especially with their own family and community. No matter what season of life you’re in, 4KIDS Gift Planning offers our loyal supporters the opportunity to make your mark by helping you create your estate plan for free! Estate planning sounds intimidating and complex for many. We make it easier through our partnership with Financial Planning Ministry (FPM). From start to finish, FPM’s straightforward process is both confidential and comprehensive. And your new estate plan is created at no cost when you make a deferred donation or bequest to 4KIDS. Our goal is to give you the chance to make wise decisions about protecting your family in case of disability, incapacity, or your passing with a plan that honors God, blesses your family, and leaves a legacy of hope, homes and healing to kids in crisis. “4KIDS made it super easy for us, and now we have peace of mind. The cost to us was zip and the benefits are eternal. I highly recommend this to anyone who finds great joy in seeing God transform kids' lives.” – Bruce Thompson, 4KIDS Legacy Partner
The first step to creating your FREE estate plan is attending a 4KIDS Wills & Trusts Webinar. We offer two webinars to choose from, either from 12pm – 1pm or 6:30pm – 8pm, on various days already scheduled through 2021. Upcoming dates include September 15th and November 12th! Register today by reaching out to Joel Ceballos, Gift Planning Manager, at 954.590.1541 or by emailing giftplanning@4KIDS.us. If you already have an existing trust or will and want to ensure 4KIDS is included, we can also provide you and your advisors with the quickest way to add 4KIDS to your estate plan. Whether you design your estate plan through our strategic partnership with FPM or update your existing plan with your advisor, we’ll acknowledge your faithful support as a 4KIDS Legacy Partner and help you make your mark in the lives of many kids in crisis.
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