#111project

By: Ben Nockels- Leader of the 111 Project

For the past several years I have been moving toward the center of the Foster Care issue. And at each step along the way I have been met by men and women, leaders and servants, agencies and organizations who have been faithfully and effectively serving the now more than 10,250 Oklahoma children who have entered into the custody of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (OKDHS) for reasons of abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment. What began as a broad based attempt to mobilize the faith community on behalf of kids in Foster Care has developed into a series of strategic partnerships to more comprehensively address the many issues surrounding Foster Care and bring real and timely solutions to bear. The initial phases focused primarily upon raising awareness of the need for more and better Foster Families across the State. I am pleased to report that we have seen an increase of more than 700 new Foster Families of all types over the past year .Recognizing that many are not "called" to Traditional Foster Care, our efforts have expanded to include a number of ways that individuals and families can relationally engage the issue and enter into the life of a child or sibling group who have experienced at least some measure of abuse, neglect, and/or abandonment. What I have learned is that Foster Care isn't an all or nothing zero sum game. We have to create space for people to explore the issue and participate in meaningful ways with varying levels of commitment. These children need an extended family, a village if you will, the community at large, to show up and support them in a myriad of ways.

One of the partnerships that we established early on was with Citizens Caring for Children (CCC) who has been "meeting the unique needs of children in foster care" for more than 25 years. We partner with CCC to present the faith community with the opportunity to enter into a mentoring relationship with a child in Foster Care. Speaking of "unique", CCC is the only organization in Central Oklahoma equipped to certify and match a mentor with a mentee in Foster Care. This is such an invaluable service, one for which I am most grateful! When a child comes into Foster Care their little world is full of uncertainty and change. Often times the only person that remains the same throughout their time in Foster Care is their mentor. I've heard countless stories of young men and women who have survived their experiences and overcome their circumstances, they've beaten the odds! And the most consistent and oft-repeated element of each and every one of their stories is the consistent and stable presence of at least one significant adult in their life. A mentor! A citizen caring for children!