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:
Finally, Home—20 Years Later
Anne’s* life was characterized by fear, instability, and suffering. Her living situation devolved into homelessness after many years of enduring exploitation. During this time of affliction, Anne encountered One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking Mobile Team, and her life began to turn around. Our team set Anne up in a domestic violence shelter where she received clinical and advocacy services.
Anne had not lived in her own home in over 20 years, but after many months of perseverance, she moved into her own place. One More Child’s staff are continuing to walk alongside Anne to help her furnish her new home, cultivate community in her area, and continue on her path of healing.
One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking Mobile Teams meet survivors where they are at, offering hope and healing in unique, specialized ways. The teams take a dynamic trauma-informed approach, assessing the needs of survivors, connecting them with essential community resources, delivering clinical services, and providing mentorship on the journey to emotional, physical, and mental recovery.
Learn more about One More Child’s Anti-Trafficking program here.
Connecting to Meet Urgent Needs
With the goal of serving children and families as effectively as possible, One More Child regularly partners with other organizations, churches, and community groups to serve those in need. Recently, one connection with a child welfare agency in South Florida provided us with the opportunity to meet the dire needs of a family who had just lost everything in a house fire.
Our Foster Care team regularly partners with Youth Villages, a child welfare agency that helps with in-house counseling to stabilize child placements with family members or foster parents. The Village’s partnership mainly facilitates referrals and support for One More Child foster families. But one day, Janelle Hanaburgh, One More Child’s South Florida Regional Senior Director of Foster Care, received a call about a different, and urgent, request for clothes for a single mom of six who had just lost everything in a house fire.
Janelle immediately connected with our Compassion Ministries and Family Support teams to get resources together to help this family. With the collaboration of several programs and departments, One More Child was able to provide clothes for this single mom and her six children. This collaborative effort among multiple One More Child departments displays our ability to care for children and families in various situations of need.
We are grateful that Youth Villages knew they could count on One More Child to help serve this family in need! Together, we are meeting needs and changing lives.
The Church as the Hands and Feet of Jesus
At One More Child, we not only want to directly serve those in need, but we also strive to empower churches to care for vulnerable children and families in their communities. We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus, and One More Child is blessed to be an avenue for Christians to answer this calling.
One church body, The Branch Community Church in Palatka, Florida, desired to serve vulnerable populations in their community. They connected with One More Child to offer help serving in whatever capacity was needed. This led to abundant donations of brand-new clothing, shoes, bedding, and diapers from the church. The church also sought to meet specific needs, so our staff reached out to local families, asking if anyone had any particular needs.
One single foster mom responded that she recently purchased a wooden fort and swing set but couldn’t assemble it. With permission, our team shared this mom’s contact with the church. The following Saturday, our team received pictures of two children playing on a large fort and swing set. This church answered the call and jumped in to bless families in their community with whatever was needed.
This kind of support is vital in helping foster families effectively serve children in their care. This is why One More Child created our Foster Crew initiative, a creative and resourceful way for churches to wrap around foster families. One More Child trains and equips volunteers from a church to provide foster families with necessities and encouragement. With our Foster Crew model, it’s simple — if you can cook, mow the lawn, play with kids, or pray, you can make a world of difference in the lives of foster children.
One More Child Foundation CEO Dr. Jerry Haag shared about One More Child initiatives at Parkview Church, which led the church to launch a Foster Crew. Within the first month of starting their brand-new Foster Crew, the team of 21 volunteers served five foster families, nine foster parents, and 12 foster children. The foster families are so grateful for the team of helpers walking alongside them, providing meals, cleaning their homes, assembling sports equipment, and more.
We all have a role to play in serving vulnerable children and families. Please contact One More Child to learn how you can start a Foster Crew.
