Chesapeake, Va. (WAVY) — Churches across the nation call on their congregation to stand up for children in foster care on ‘Stand Sunday.’
In November, churches recognize National Adoption Month on ‘Stand Sunday,’ which is the second Sunday of the month.
10 On Your Side’s Lauren Martinez first reported the Bair Foundation in Hampton Roads partnered with the Mount in Chesapeake to address the overflow of children in need.
Hampton Roads foster crisis: 900+ area youth in care system
“In Hampton Roads, we have so many children that are in need! It could be because of neglect. It could be because of abuse, [or] a lot of traumatic events happen, and we are here to try to make that match,” said Samantha Williams, the Bair Foundation foster recruiter. “We’re here to speak on their behalf, be their voice. We’re here to open our hearts, free up our time, open our minds to receive them and to love them and to pretty much… be our brother’s keeper. We are here to help all of the children.”
Williams says God led her to this work.
“I did start out as a foster parent of four children, one of my children that I was very emotional about was a two-year-old who overdosed on cocaine,” said Williams. “Her dad was able to get her, I cried about three days, but I’m glad that God was able to bring the family back together on her behalf.”
Williams reached out to Mount Chesapeake to raise awareness.
“We really felt like this congregation would be a good place to recruit foster parents. We are a Christian nonprofit, but you don’t have to be Christian to foster with us. We just want you to have a heart for children and the moral background to really be a good influence,” said Logan Whittington, Bair Foundation intake coordinator.
Whittington recalls in one week she received 41 referrals for new kids coming into care or transferring out of a different foster home.
“Unfortunately, just with the demand, I was only able to match two or three that week. That just shows the deficit from foster parents to the amount of kids coming in care,” said Whittington.
If interested in becoming a foster parent, Whittington explains, “we lead orientation info night sessions virtually. If you are even considering fostering and just want to learn a little bit more, it’s an opportunity to log on, learn more and see if Bair is the right fit for you.”
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