Why Community Matters
Did you know…
35% of children exiting foster care will end up homeless the day they leave their foster home?
50% of all people who experience homelessness spent time in the foster care system at some point during their childhood?
60% of children who enter foster care do so because of parental drug use?
45% of teens in foster care admit to using illegal drugs and alcohol?
70% of teen girls who age out of foster care will end up pregnant before they turn 21?
Even though our children are more than just numbers on a page, these numbers shine a light on the reason why community matters. Calvary Home is filling in the gap to care for these children, but we do not do it alone. Our friends and community partners at the LOT Project, The Bridge Center and Anderson Pregnancy Care, as well as many others, are standing in the gap to help families who struggle with homelessness, addiction, and unexpected pregnancies. There are times when we get calls from these agencies asking to support the children caught in the crossfires of these family issues. There are times when we send families to these agencies for support and services to help them get healthy so they can begin to heal from their own trauma to care for their children again.
None of us operate on an island alone and this is by God’s design. Romans 12:4-6 states, “For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.” God has given us each gifts and talents in order for all of us to work together for His glory. We have a responsibility to our Creator to stand in the gap and be His hands and feet in this community.
The same applies on the campus of Calvary Home. Each of our families are very different. They parent differently and run their homes differently. And it’s okay that we’re all different because that is how God made us. God’s calling on our lives to care for these vulnerable children is what aligns us under one cause and passion. If you’re reading this newsletter then you’re also a part of our community in some way. Whether you’re a donor, prayer partner, church member, advocate, DSS worker, Guardian Ad Litem or ministry leader, you are a part of our community. We appreciate you all for being a part of our community and helping us stand in the gap for these children. We know we are not on an island alone and we thank you for being a part of our village.
