2021
a letter from our founder
a letter from our founder
New Name, Same Vision
Dear friends,
I am so grateful to write to all of you here at the close of 2021. It has been quite a year for our mission to help children find homes and forever families across our nation. Lauren and I have been blown away by the continued support from each of you, and we have more hope and excitement than ever for what is ahead.
As most of you know, this year has been marked with significant changes, that have allowed us to expand the vision of helping vulnerable children in greater ways. First, we made
the decision to change the name of the organization from Angel Armies to FOR OTHERS! The vision is the same, to see
“This year has been marked with significant changes that have allowed us to expand the vision of helping vulnerable children in greater ways.” vulnerable kids across our nation find a safe and secure home, and ultimately hear about the love that God has for each of them. The hope is that this name change will give us more opportunities with partners from sectors that range
from church, music, sports, and business. I am very happy to report, that we are already seeing this happen. I love how the name explains so much of what we are about just in those 2 simple words, FOR OTHERS.
Another great achievement and answered prayer this year is the hiring of David Nasser as president. We could not ask for a better leader for this mission. David’s own personal story is incredible, and I look forward to all of you getting to know him and his wife, Jennifer, over the coming months and years. David has already begun to put together a world-class staff that is helping
us advance this mission in ways Lauren and I were only dreaming about a couple of years ago.
Please let me say again how grateful we are for your heart and investment in the mission of FOR OTHERS. We truly could not do this without you!
Much love, Chris Tomlin
Chris Tomlin, Founder
a letter from our president
a letter from our president
Better Together Than We Could Ever Be Alone 2021 has been a tremendously impactful year. Actually, our most effective yet! To experience exponential growth and to build momentum in the midst of a global pandemic is a testament to the vision and commitment of our board, pillar partners, new staff, and you - our generous financial supporters.
added new partners, rebranded, changed our organization’s name, hired multiple new staff, and upgraded our systems of operations. All in order to better serve America’s vulnerable children at an even greater capacity.
This is one reason why I really love our new logo. Two arrows pointed We united to see every child in America belong in a safe and secure home. However, the rewards of this year did not come without challenges. As a nonprofit organization, we’ve had to pivot and get more creative than ever before. In the past few months alone, we have continued to empower our existing partners,
We live in an “arrows in” kind of world, but our nation’s most vulnerable deserve an arrows out strategy. outwards as the ultimate selfless posture. Sadly, so many spend their days obsessed with self. But
God calls us to be the arrow that points to Him, and to others! We live in an “arrows in” kind of world, but our nation’s most vulnerable deserve an “arrows out” strategy.
We exist for these children. As the new leader at For Others, I wake up every day with one aim in mind - to love our nation’s most vulnerable. How can we bring greater awareness and be a voice for the 425k children in the foster care system? How can we keep kids from falling into the system? How do we minimize the trauma for those who are already in the system? How do kids in the system get placed in a better home or be adopted by good, capable, loving, Godly parents?
The urgency that drives For Others forward is empowered by people like yourself. People who know that for these children, every moment matters. In the next few pages, as we look back at our collective impact, it’s important to note how none of it would have been possible without your prayers, support, and investment.
On behalf of these children, thank you.
David Nasser, President
table of contents
1. Our Team 2. The Crisis 4. Our Strategy 6. How it Works 8. Collective 19. COVID Grants 20. Stillwaters Grants 24. Camp Scholarships 26. Impact Map
In 2021, A New Team Was Brought
Together
David Nasser, President
Leigh Liebmann, Executive Director of Operations
Jordan Freeze, Athletics Relationship Liaison
Joel Thomas, For Others Collective Road Representative
Jared Brown, Director of Strategic Partnerships
Rudy Nasser, Investor Development and Special Projects
Board of Trustees Chris Tomlin/ Chad Spencer/ Dan Glaze/ Jeanie Haas/ Dana Ring/ Ed O’Bryan/ Erik Dellenback/ Darren Whitehead
Together, our collective raised awareness around America’s foster care crisis. over
400,000
Children are already in foster care.
1 in 4
Children need meal assistance every year.
1,844
Children in America are confirmed abused or neglected each day.
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19%
Of children in foster care will be involved in the juvenile justice system within 2 years.
Only 4%
Of children in foster care will earn a college degree.
25,600
Children will spend more than five years in foster care.
“Defend the cause of the weak and fatherless; maintain the rights of the poor and oppressed.” Psalm 82:3
our mission:
Together, we can solve America’s foster care crisis in our lifetime.
We close the gap between children-inneed and capable care providers with a holistic approach.
our three-tiered strategy:
1. Strengthen
3. Shepherd
by helping families in crisis stay together.
by ensuring every child has a safe and permanent home.
2. Support by providing aid and services to children and families in the foster care system.
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“It’s easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” -Frederick Douglas
Donating to For Others
For Others aims to holistically address the foster care crisis across America. We do so by partnering with best-in-class, child-serving organizations that are committed to utilizing the Church to help solve the crisis. For Others is committed to faithful stewardship of your donations to combat the foster care crisis in America. When you give to For Others, you help support the work of our trusted, vetted partners and in turn, help activate local churches to serve vulnerable children and families. Through our holistic partnerships, churches can become powerful allies to children and families in need.
Where it starts
What they do
Where it ends up
These partners provide:
These partners + the local church work together to:
$ Your donation goes to trusted, vetted partners.
Counseling & Education/ Family Advocacy/ Foster & Adoption Support/ Peer Mentoring/ Reunification/ Connection to those in need
Strengthen families in crisis/ Support families in need/ Shepherd to provide every child a safe and permanent home
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Together, we are a part of one
collective working towards one mission.
over Whether you’re a benefiting partner or a giving partner, you all play an important role.
the power of the
new businesses, athletic teams, artists, and individuals added to the collective.
From musicians to football players to teachers to families, we know that raising awareness happens through something as simple as sharing a social post or as grand as speaking in front of thousands of people. From feeding and housing a new mother to caring for a child-in-need, each partner in our collective is crucial in solving the crisis happening in America’s foster care system.
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Together, we grew our collective impact in 2021.
Families served through our partners.
1,500
Churches empowered and partnered with.
31,400
174,000
$3.5 million
43
$17.5 million
5
Children’s lives impacted through our strategy.
Raised for our mission.
Returned on investment.
New people made aware of the foster care crisis.
“Genius is in the idea. Impact, however, comes from action.” -Simon Sinek
States invested in through our partners.
New states expanded and added to our reach.
the power of the
12,100
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Together, our collective raised awareness and resources with Chris Tomlin and NEEDTOBREATHE.
158,450
12,866
40
New people added to our network through touring.
New donors.
$1,073,633.65 Raised on tour.
Number of children represented in the cities we toured in.
Over 40 cities of impact through touring and concerts.
National Tours/Local Impact
The funds raised in each city go to local partners, to make a country-wide impact. page 12
the power of the
ARTISTS
23,690
Together, our collective,
along with NCAA football teams served 863 families.
AT H L E T E S
From teammates joining families, to For Others stickers on helmets, to sports camps for foster families, we’ve leveraged our partnerships with NCAA football teams to make a big impact.
2,560
Children served.
694
Adults served.
$366,793
863
Families served.
$877,712 Economic impact.
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the power of the
Invested.
Together, our collective and the local church partnered to solve this crisis in our lifetime.
others. The church is God’s strategy to reach the world. The local church is God’s ‘plan A’, and there is no ‘plan B’. That’s why For Others is more committed page 16
than ever to empowering the local church to step into this crisis. There are a little more than 400,000 churches across America, and 400,000 children caught in the foster care crisis. Think about it.
“The church absolutely must be leading the way in orphan care. It’s not a negotiable; it flows from the reality of the gospel.” -David Platt
the power of the
THE CHURCH
Every church has a unique expression, but we all share the same conviction: to love God and to love
Together, our collective
gave $150,000 in COVID-19 Grants across America. Since March 2019, the entire world has faced the many unknowns of an unpredictable virus. In our country, schools have shut down, kids have been sent home, and so many of our nation’s most vulnerable are experiencing hunger. 1 in 4 children need meal assistance every year. Many of these children may go weeks at a time with no food with schools being closed due to the pandemic. This need is just one of the reasons “why it matters,” and why we need to address this crisis holistically. In an effort to make the greatest impact, we applied prioritization criteria for these funds. To apply for COVID grants, the ministry needed to serve vulnerable children and families at risk of
entering or in the foster system. They also must have been serving within a community of critical need with extreme poverty challenges exacerbated by the pandemic. In turn, our emphasis was on vulnerable communities and ministries. We also ensured that the use of the grant was directly for children and families in crisis. We granted seven COVID grants totaling $150,000 for ministries in California, Oklahoma, and Texas. Here’s a glimpse into each of these ministries: The R.O.C.K. was granted funds to serve South Los Angeles, one of the most challenging communities in the most under-served counties in the United States.
Faith Fostering Families (3FN) used their grant to raise and support foster and adoptive families, to meet needs to strengthen local families in the African American community, and to help keep children out of the foster system in LA, which has one of the highest rates of racial disproportionality in the country. Nehemiah Project is utilizing their grant to support Transition Age Youth (TAY) in Los Angeles, a population facing extreme challenges of homelessness. They are working closely with the CarePortal network of local churches and the Division of Children and Family Services on host home programs so families in local churches may provide an open bedroom and wrap-around support to a TAY.
Ebenezer Baptist Church plans to use their grant to continue, and secure, their ongoing food storage and distribution to families among its low-income community in Oklahoma City. One Church, One Child will use their grant assistance to recruit and serve African American churches in low-income communities to support foster and adoptive families and keep families out of the child welfare system. In Texas, Unite the Church is working with the Dallas Independent School District to serve children and families in the middle of a housing crisis. Their grant will help prevent eviction and homelessness in the Dallas/ Fort Worth area.
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Together, we granted $700,000 in Stillwaters Grants. In 2021, we created the Stillwaters Grant inspired by the words found in Psalm 23:1-2. This grant exists to aid in providing safe and secure housing for vulnerable and at-risk children, as well as young
pastures. He leads me beside still waters.” This environment of safety and security is something that we believe everyone should feel, especially young children and teenagers.
“This grant exists to aid in providing safe and secure housing for vulnerable and at-risk children.” adults who have recently aged out of the foster care system. In the book of Psalms, the assumed psalmist King David writes these familiar words of comfort: “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green
Stillwaters @ BlueSprings, Marianna FL Stillwaters @ Blue Springs will be a beautiful place where many children can come for healing, community, and change. Children ages 12-18 will be welcomed to Stillwaters @ Blue Springs after they are removed
from their homes due to abuse and neglect. Foster children may spend up to 30 days at camp where they, along with a team of supporters, will make a plan for their future. Potential foster parents will be welcomed to Stillwaters @ Blue Springs to visit children which we hope will help build a stronger initial bond than achieved with traditional placements. The goal will be for these visits to build trust, and foster a relationship of play and love before the child enters a home. Stillwaters @ Blue Springs will help children and families bridge those gaps to help children feel safe and secure during these big transitions. Church leaders and other service volunteers will also have an opportunity to interact with the children, love them, play with page 21
them, and share their faith. We hope that each child will get connected to a local church once they are in their foster home. By 2022, Stillwaters @ Blue Springs hopes to receive two licenses, Residential Care and Emergency Respite Care, to further care for Florida’s most vulnerable children. Stillwaters @ Harvest House (Harvest Family Life Ministries), Glenn Heights, TX Harvest Family Life Ministries exist to defend, care for, and support abused, abandoned, and neglected children in our community, state, and nation. They do this in their local community through various programs and by engaging, equipping, and empowering local churches to do the same.
Stillwaters @ Nehemiah House LA, Whittier CA The Nehemiah Project LA is a faith-based initiative that works to build greater awareness of the challenges faced by our nation’s at-risk and transitioning foster youth. They build local networks of support while advocating for more effective and supportive policies, to help this ‘invisible’ community develop selfsufficiency and a resilient future.
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Together, we sent 685 children to Summer & Christmas camps. For most kids, summer is a season of fun and play, whether it’s spending time with their friends or neighbors. But for many children, summer can be difficult as they are without school meals, social interaction, and structure. All children deserve to have a safe and secure home where they can have fun, enjoy the summer, rest, and be cared for. As a result of your giving, 685 children in the welfare system were able to attend summer camp through For Others sponsorship. To ensure that vulnerable children from throughout Florida had a summer camp experience, $75,000 was given to The Ranch towards sponsorship.
“This camp is literally heavensent for me. I have been through unimaginable things in my 16 years. I have experienced the love of God here, and I have been healed in these three days.” -Lexicana, camper
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= For Others Collective Partner Presence = New State Added 2021 Number of Children in Foster Care 5,783 2,879 13,330 4,127 51,268 5,340 4,333 576 24,563 12,867 17,06 1,752 18,317 16,307 5,955 8,066 9,148 3,919 2,096 3,840 9,271 11,671 8,400 4,161 12,685 3,697 3,506 4,541 1,226 4,430 2,326 16,086 11,223 1,502 16,387 8,306 6,994 15,526 2,200 4,521 1,706 9,290 31,427 2,488 1,245 4,925 10,909 7,269 7,642 994
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State Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Together, we expanded to five new states.
State Spotlight: Florida In 2020, we began a partnership with Florida’s governing leaders in an effort to engage and empower more churches and non-profits towards the child welfare crisis. This partnership grew in 2021, as we introduced the MyFloridaMyFamily.com initiative. This initiative has blessed our partnerships by adding more resources and growth to the overall impact in Florida. We hope that our success in Florida will serve as a prototype for how we will partner with other states in the future.
Over $1 million
raised and committed to serving at risk children in Florida.
EXPECTATION
Although we’re so thankful for all God did in and through the For Others Collective, we look to next year with great expectation, asking God to use us immeasurably more than ever before.
Will you join us for an even greater level of impact in 2022?
forothers.com