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In celebration of National Foster Care Month, The Call in Baxter County is reaching out to families in the Twin Lakes area to take a chance and “Say Yes to foster care” in its new month long campaign to mobilize local churches and raise support families to serve local children by providing them with what the need most.
Since 1988, the United States has celebrated National Foster Care Month to raise awareness for millions of Americans that are unaware of the 463,000 children that are currently within the nations foster care system across the country.
There are currently 3,700 children in foster care statewide, and 1,400 foster families available to care for them. On average, 12 children across Arkansas are removed from their homes and placed into the foster care system each day.
Roughly 7,000 children spend time in foster care in Arkansas each year. The Call estimates that 2,500 more foster homes are needed to meet the needs of those children entering the system each year. The Call has opened over 3,135 foster and adoptive homes and has served over 31,000 children and youth since opening its doors.
The Call in Baxter and Fulton Counties will be teaming up with Little T’s Mini Golf & More to raise money on May 7, which is National Foster and Adoption Day, to support the 47 children currently in foster care within both counties.
For every round of golf purchased at Little T’s, $2 will be donated to The Call in Baxter and Fulton Counties.
Founded by anonymous donors in Pulaski County in 2006, The Call has been working with the Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services to “think outside of the box” and find a way to help local churches fulfill their Biblical mandate to “look after widows and orphans in their distress.”
Since opening its first doors in 2007, The Call has expanded to 62 of Arkansas’s 75 counties and has focused on educating, equipping and encouraging Christian communities throughout the state to provide hope to children and youth in the state’s foster care system.
The organization has recruited 60% of the currently open traditional foster families in Arkansas.
The Call in Baxter County is supported by 58 organizations and churches throughout the Baxter County region, as well as dedicated foster families that have been fostering for years within the community.
Some organizations include The Food Bank of North Central Arkansas, Rapp’s Barren Brewery, East Side Baptist Church, Little T’s Mini Golf, GTS and more. Three Rivers Biker Church also holds a regular Fall Festival to raise money for the organization.
Together, every organization and family assists in taking care of the county’s 47 foster kids and 13 foster families. It should be noted that 23 of those foster children are currently being placed outside of Baxter County due to a lack of foster homes.
For families wishing to foster children in the area, The Call will help in getting the process started by filling out the paperwork and conducting the training families need to begin opening up their homes.
Training with The Call takes around 30 hours and is held across two, non-consecutive weekends. Families are required to complete the training in three weeks after filing.
The Call assists with the paperwork to help families not slow down or get stuck in the process. The organization also offers post-certification assistance through trauma-informed education, support groups, spiritual support, prayer support, and emotional support, as well as help with clothing, food, supplies and help around the home.
Church attendance is mandatory to receive assistance from The Call when becoming a foster parent.
While The Call will help families through the process of becoming a foster family, DCFS has the final say in which homes are open to children and which homes are not. The Call works alongside DCFS to find the best fit for each child as they go through the system.
In 2021, DCFS assisted 9,616 children who were labeled as maltreatment victims. Only 4,500 of those children were in foster care for that year. Some 768 were adopted that year.
DCFS investigated 52,887 reports of child abuse for the 2021 calendar year. Data for 2022 and 2023 is currently not available at this time.
DCFS guidelines are strict but sometimes differ from county to county. When looking for maltreatment, DCFS looks for signs of physical and emotional abuse, sexual abuse, malnourishment, unsafe and unclean living conditions and more.
If you would like to become a foster parent, volunteer or make a donation to The Call in Baxter County please contact (870) 424-4211 or visit The Call at 800 HWY 201 N in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
If you would like to play a round of mini golf to help raise funds for The Call in Baxter and Fulton Counties, you may visit Little T’s at 39 County Road 917 in Mountain Home, Arkansas.
