Mission Update from One More Child
Every week, the leadership and staff of One More Child come together for prayer and devotion to celebrate the encouraging progress in our ongoing mission to serve vulnerable children and struggling families, all for the glory of God.
Here is a glimpse into the recent good news, activities, and accomplishments at One More Child:
Before the Bus
It’s back to school time, which means it’s also “Before the Bus” time. One More Child held annual Before the Bus events in six different locations during which children and families from the community could come and receive school supplies. Multiple locations also had fun activities like a bounce house, gaga ball, balloon artists, and more.
These events served children and families in One More Child programs, including Foster Care, Anti-Trafficking, Single Moms, and Family Support. At the Before the Bus event in Lakeland, the Anti-Trafficking team also had the opportunity to provide resources on internet safety and held a raffle for all the children who participated.
The Before the Bus events reached more than 170 families and over 432 children. They also distributed upwards of 5,000 school supplies and 500 backpacks. Join us in praying over vulnerable children as they enter a new school year!
Read more about our Before the Bus events here.
Anti-Trafficking
Last month, members of One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking team participated in a “Red Sand Project” event in Miami. They were able to provide education on the realities of human trafficking and share information on One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking services.
The Red Sand Project raises awareness to the prevalence of human trafficking in our world and encourages engagement to seek solutions and help survivors. Each grain of sand is meant to represent an individual who fell through the cracks and fell victim to human trafficking.
Hosted by the Human Rights Committee, this Miami Red Sand event brought together community organizations, government officials, law enforcement, and local leaders to stand in solidarity with anti-trafficking efforts.
One More Child’s Senior Director of Anti-Trafficking Mobile Team Operations Seyny Dressler and Survivor, Leader, and Mentor, Stacie Ham hosted a table where the public could learn about the work of our Anti-Trafficking Mobile Teams and other programs. This event educated all attendees on the signs of human trafficking, effective and safe ways to use social media, and more ways to get involved with anti-trafficking efforts. Stacie Ham was also able to share her experience as a survivor and stress the importance of advocacy efforts, including participating in Red Sand Project events.
Birthday in a Bag
Community partners are vital to One More Child’s impact, and one specific Lakeland partner joined us for a project that brought joy to everyone involved.
The Aktion Club of Lakeland and ROAR Florida, formerly Noah’s Ark of Central Florida—both of which are organizations that exist to empower adults with developmental disabilities—came together to serve the community by building birthday kits.
One More Child’s “Birthday in a Bag” initiative exists because we believe every child deserves a birthday party. Individuals or organizations can build birthday kits with party supplies for children facing instability, including those in foster care, the Single Moms program, and children who are survivors of trafficking.
The Aktion Club and ROAR Florida recently delivered 60 birthday bags to children within our care, after they spent several months collecting and building these kits. The birthday bags function as symbols of joy and hope to children in difficult circumstances, and thanks to individuals willing to serve from the Aktion Club and ROAR Florida, 60 more children will receive this hope.
Child Hunger Distribution Coordinator Levi Stovall established this partnership with leaders from both organizations in order to cultivate ideas on how their members and residents could make a lasting difference in the life of one more child. There are abundant opportunities for individuals and organizations to impact vulnerable children and struggling families—find the right fit for you.