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UPDATED: 17 Stories of People Making a Difference That You Need to Hear

By November 1, 2024Blog

Every day here at The Forgotten Initiative, we get to support, encourage, and invest in our Advocates across the country. Let me tell you: We have had and currently have some truly incredible people on our team, and they are making a huge difference throughout the foster care communities in their local areas.

Our Advocates not only uplift children and families, but they also support some of the most essential yet under-resourced people in the foster care system: caseworkers. Caseworkers are often stretched thin and they rarely receive much assistance. This is why our Advocates step in to offer a helping hand wherever caseworkers need it most, while also connecting these professionals with churches that can use their unique gifts to help reinforce agency efforts throughout the foster care community.

This month is an exciting one as applications are open to become a TFI Advocate. I am eager to meet and support the new leaders who take this step!

Over the years, we’ve had the opportunity to talk with and learn from some of these leaders, and I’d like to share some of their stories with you today. I hope this will be an encouragement for you to hear what God is doing. I also hope this may be a catalyst for you to consider taking this step as your next step to support your local community.

Here are 17 stories of people making a difference that you need to hear:

Refugee & International Foster Care (w/ Jamie Bartlett)

I have the special opportunity to share an episode about an aspect of foster care I originally knew very little about: refugee foster care. If you are unfamiliar with this form of foster care, it occurs when a child has migrated to the United States (often all on their own) and it is unsafe to return to their home country. This can also occur when a child is placed in a refugee camp- listen to hear more about how this works.

Jamie Bartlett is a mom to four biological boys and one adopted daughter. She has fostered 18 children through refugee foster care. Jamie and her husband, Mike, reside in Grand Rapids, Michigan, where they started a church plant. And as of this episode, Jamie is one of our TFI Advocates!

Her story is touching and inspiring. You won’t want to miss this one!

Listen to the episode →

Two Sides Of Reunification: A Dad and a Foster Mom

The journey to reunification is never an easy road. The emotional toll of the process is draining, yet there is beauty in the restoration of families. In this episode, we get the honor of introducing you to a dad who has walked a very difficult road but has been an overcomer in many ways, including working through the foster care system to reunite with his precious little girl. Jay’s story is incredible. He shares what his life was like growing up and how he found himself involved with the foster care system. And as a special treat, Liz, the foster mom who cared for his little girl (and an Advocate Coach here at TFI), joined us in the conversation too! She shares what it was like to meet Jay for the first time, and what their relationship looks like today. This conversation was an encouragement, and I know it will be for you too.

LISTEN HERE →

When God Directs Your Passion

Isn’t it crazy how God can redirect our passions to make a difference in ways we never dreamed possible? This is Leah Johnson’s story. Leah lives in North Carolina and has been a TFI Advocate in Mitchell and Yancey Counties for over a year now and she is sharing how God has used her passion to lead her on a journey to ultimately partner with us at TFI. In this episode, she shares her story, the incredible God stories of being able to provide for various needs in her community, becoming God-conscious instead of self-conscious, and more.

She also shares key insights on what her relationship has been like with local agencies—a crucial topic for us since a core focus of our Advocate training involves understanding what caseworkers need so we can help them help children.

Hoping this conversation is an encouragement to you today!

LISTEN HERE

Through the Waiting and the Wanting

Today’s guests are some of our favorite people and are no strangers to the call to foster or adopt.  Jamey and Sarah McIntosh are TFI Advocates in Chippewa Valley, WI who felt the pull to this work early in their lives (even before they were married!). They have such a big heart for foster care, adoption, and advocacy. I hope you will be inspired by their journey and the lessons they have picked up along the way, how God has shaped them in the waiting periods, and even how they’ve learned to let go of control.

LISTEN HERE →

When You Can’t Step Away: Life After Foster Parenting

In this one, get an inside look at the types of conversations our team gets to have each day. This is a conversation with Kara Reid, a previous Advocate for many years in Northwest Oklahoma, all about ministry and lessons she’s learned throughout her 6 years as an Advocate.

Seriously, our Advocates are some of the best; they see and show up for agency workers, foster parents, vulnerable adults, and children involved with foster care, and not only personally do they do that, but they mobilize the church to do that too! Our mission here at The Forgotten Initiative is to support those in need, as well as the people whose job it is to help those people. Kara is a shining example of an Advocate who has served as a pillar of support for both caseworkers and the families they serve.

Listen in!

LISTEN HERE →

Navigating Court: Understanding Your Role as a Foster Parent

Our guest, Tony Whitley, is no stranger to foster care. Once a child in foster care, now a foster parent and a former TFI Advocate, he’s seen the court process from many sides, and he’s not running from it. Tony helps shed new light on court and the players involved in the system. Today’s conversation will help you walk into court informed, knowing the purpose of the hearing you’re attending, and what your role is in the process. Use this as your launchpad as you navigate your way through the court system. And as an opportunity to learn more about his time as a TFI Advocate!

LISTEN HERE →

Advocating for The Foster Care Community with The Forgotten Initiative

When Josh and Liz saw a need within their foster care community, they knew they had to do something about it. Instead of launching and fundraising for a new nonprofit, they joined up with The Forgotten Initiative, where they were equipped with all types of resources including a graphic designer, strategic planning sessions, and video calls with Advocates around the country, so they didn’t have to reinvent any wheels.

In this episode, Josh and Liz share more about the practical help TFI provides, but also what it’s like to be part of the TFI Family where Advocates are rooting for one another, willing to sit with one another in the hard, and always pointing one another towards loving God.

LISTEN HERE →

Meeting Practical Needs: A Story of How God’s People Helped a Family Get Back on Their Feet

It’s the end of the day on a Thursday. It’s been a long day, and the phone rings.

As the familiar sound echoes in her ears, she takes a deep breath and picks up the call.

“Thank you for calling Illinois DCFS. This is Sarah.”

It’s a mandated reporter on the other end. The caller was expressing concern about a family who was struggling with a variety of physical needs that was making it difficult to care for their children.

Curious how the story ends? Here’s a hint: Because of our Advocate’s work, DCFS did not need to open an official investigation, and a caseworker didn’t get an additional case added to their caseload. 

Read why here →

Creating Connections Through Advocacy (w/ Abby Callison)

Becoming a TFI Advocate starts with filling out an application. However, for each person who takes this step, the journey starts long before that, often beginning with an awareness that leads to action and a deep passion.

This is a journey I get to explore with Abby Callison in today’s episode. Abby is a TFI Advocate in Mason City, IA and a foster parent as well. Long before she could support the foster care community directly, she was exposed to the importance of supporting vulnerable children through a mission trip to an African orphanage and seeing foster care lived out through multiple families at her local church.

In this episode, Abby reminds us of the significant role the Church can have in the foster care community, the unique circumstances that led them to become foster parents, her experience navigating the application process to become a TFI Advocate, why it is important that we identify our unique motivation, advice she would have for people interested in becoming involved, and so much more.

Listen to the episode →

Equipping Youth in Foster Care With Life Skills: Advocate Spotlight

Perhaps the most unique part of the TFI Advocate role is that it takes unique shape in every community across the nation because every community has unique needs. This role truly is about relationship-building, trust-building, and bridging the gap between the needs foster care agencies have and the local churches that can help.

In Mary Grant’s case, speaking with DSS and the CASA organization in her area led to the identification of a gap that had been created in the area of mentorship and practical skills. Through connection, volunteer support, and a heart to serve, they stepped in to create a monthly class where youth in foster care who are approaching adulthood can learn practical life skills and connect with other adults who can support them during that transition.

Read the feature →

Deeper Than Sunday (w/ Desiree Jacobs)

I am so excited to bring you something a little bit different with this one. Grace Church of San Diego allowed us to share an episode of their podcast, Deeper Than Sunday, which featured one of our TFI Advocates, Desiree Jacobs.

Listen in for a great discussion about how the church can step in and love the foster care community and ultimately see lives transformed for the glory of God.

In this episode, you’ll hear about secondary trauma, how to link arms with those in the foster care community, the difference between being inconvenienced versus overextended, and so much more!

I am grateful to Grace Church of San Diego for sharing this episode with us and allowing us to learn from their conversation!

Listen to the episode →

How Awareness Leads to Action (w/ Sarah Butler)

Sometimes seeing another family involved in foster care can change someone’s mind from “I could never be a foster parent” to “I can do this.”

Sarah Butler, TFI Advocate in Conecuh County, AL, didn’t imagine she would be able to be a foster parent. But after seeing another family foster, she saw it was possible and she and her husband felt God’s call to pursue it. Immediately after completing the requirements to be foster parents, they were told there was a child that needed a place to stay that very night. Since then, the Butlers have had over 30 children come through their home in four years.

In this episode, Sarah shares the challenges, blessings, hardships, and joy that comes from fostering, and what it looks like to take a step past the fear of the unknown and into the call that God may have for your family. I loved our conversation, and I hope you are encouraged and inspired by Sarah’s story today!

Listen to the episode →

Advocating for Those That Feel Forgotten (w/ Tess Dykstra)

Joining me for this episode is one of our TFI Advocates, Tess Dykstra. Tess has been an Advocate for Cobb County, GA since November 2021, and she is an incredible leader! In addition to her role as a TFI Advocate, Tess is a foster parent, mom to two boys (one through adoption), and works remotely in logistics and supply chain operations.

Tess is going to give us a look behind the curtain of what it means to be a TFI Advocate. She shares more about what a TFI Advocate does, what skills they might need, and her own story of getting involved.

Listen to the episode →

Building Trust Between a Church and Agency in Carver County, MN

It’s always special when we get to share the work of our TFI Advocates, volunteer leaders across the nation who are working to support their local foster care community by bridging the gap between the needs of foster care agencies and the people and resources to meet those needs in local churches.

At a recent TFI Advocate Retreat, we got to share an interview between Lisa Jacobsen, an Advocate in Carver County, MN, and a local pastor as well as a local agency worker to share how they have built trust and started working together to meet needs in their community. In this bonus episode, we get to share that same interview with you! This conversation will give you such a great look into some of the work we’re doing here at TFI, and it brings us so much joy to hear stories just like this one.

Listen to the episode →

Advocates in Action: Visitation Room Renovation

What happens when people collaborate together toward a common goal? How much more can we accomplish together when we become aware of a need?

There is such beautiful collaboration that we see over and over again as our TFI Advocates bridge the gap between the needs of agencies and churches who want to make a difference. When a community comes together, needs can be met to help support local agencies, caseworkers, children in foster care, foster parents, and biological families. We recently saw this in action when volunteers rallied together to provide a totally renovated room for family visits at an agency in Montgomery County, AL.

Here’s the story:

Read the feature →

Advocates in Action: An Unforgettable Birthday

I love to share this beautiful story from the work of one of our Advocates in Kentucky.

In this story, you’ll hear about a young girl who was brought into foster care, but the agency couldn’t find a foster family to take her in. During the search for an open home for her, she was going to spend her 13th birthday at a foster care agency. Can you imagine? She didn’t have people to set up balloons, sing “Happy Birthday,” or to celebrate her life. But her story takes a heartwarming turn when a local church steps in to make it an unforgettable day for her.

This story is a reminder of why connecting churches and agencies matters deeply, and how a simple act of kindness can bring a deep sense of belonging. I am so proud of each of our Advocates, and stories just like this one make me so grateful for the work we get to do!

Read (and watch) the full story:

Read the feature →

Story of Impact: It Wasn’t About the Bath Towels

I want to share a story that went out to our donors in a partnership email recently. The story was too good to keep it to ourselves.

It’s a story about something seemingly ordinary and simple: bath towels. But when you look a little deeper, it conveys so much more. A simple act from one of our TFI Advocates led to agency workers feeling seen, supported, and loved by Jesus.

So many of our nation’s foster care workers are struggling. They are overwhelmed and under-resourced. That’s exactly why, as this story shows, TFI Advocates are listening to their needs, learning, and identifying opportunities to reach out and say, “We’re here to help you.”

This is what the work we do is all about!

Check out this article to find a video that tells the full story:

Read the feature →

I hope some of these conversations are impactful for you, and you’re able to listen! We are so proud of our TFI Advocates and the work they are doing. In fact, this role is why we exist!

Our mission is to see people everywhere support the foster care community and experience Jesus together. We do that by equipping people just like you to launch and lead a thriving foster care ministry right in your area. Ultimately, to bridge the gap between local churches and agencies. When we all do our part, we can uplift children and families in need and offer caseworkers the support they need to succeed.

Are you our next TFI Advocate? If you are passionate about the foster care community and passionate about Jesus, I want to encourage you to check out the details and apply! You can find it all right here.

You Can Make a Difference.

Become a TFI Advocate.

Personalized Coaching. Professional Resources. Intentional Community.
Everything you need to launch and lead a thriving ministry.

LEARN MORE

Jami Kaeb

Adoption, foster care, and advocacy were not part of Jami’s dreams for her life, but God changed her heart when He made her aware, and she is passionate about helping others become aware too! She and her husband Clint are parents to their seven children (five through adoption).

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