Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

Jul24

Own a Piece of Major League Baseball History and Benefit Foster Children

Cardinals baseball Baseball fans and collectors, we have a great opportunity for you! We are auctioning two autographed baseballs – bona fide collector’s items signed by the 2011 World Series Champion St. Louis Cardinals, and another signed by the American League Champion Texas Rangers. Bidding is now open, and closes Wednesday, August 1, 2012, so it’s time to get on deck and start bidding!

These baseballs were generously donated by Allan H. “Bud” Selig, the Commissioner of Major League Baseball, and come with a letter certifying their authenticity.

Both balls are signed by each member of their respective teams. The St. Louis Cardinal ball includes signatures by future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols, World Series MVP David Freese, perennial All-Stars Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman, and coaches Tony La Russa and Mark McGwire. The Texas Rangers ball includes signatures by All-Stars Josh Hamilton, Nelson Cruz, Adrian Beltre, Ian Kinsler, Michael Young, Mike Napoli, and coach Ron Washington. View All Auction Items

All proceeds from the auction benefit LSS ministries for children and seniors in El Paso. The El Paso foster care program provides safe homes for more than 100 children each year, plus transitional foster care placement for almost 200 refugee children in the area annually.

It will be a home run for the winner of this auction and the Foster In Texas kids too. Let the bidding begin!

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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Jul16

Sister Acts: Wendy’s Wonderful Kids Adoptions

wwkadoptions Get ready for a cuteness overdose! Two sets of sisters found their forever homes with their foster families recently. LaMeaka Tapley, our Wendy’s Wonderful Kids®(WWK) recruiter in the DFW area, had the privilege of arranging the adoptive placement of the four little girls.

Kevin and Bridget O’Neal adopted eight-year-old twins Savannah and Nevaeh (heaven spelled backwards!) in May.

Also in May, LSS-Foster In Texas parent Vickie Ross adopted sisters Destiny (5) and Kierra (7). They are all thrilled that the close bond they formed has become a permanent one.

WWK is a signature program of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption® that partners with LSS to place foster children in permanent adoptive homes. The Foundation awards grants to local agencies like LSS to hire adoption professionals who dedicate 100 percent of their time to finding families for waiting children.

Congratulations to these wonderful families and job well done LaMeaka!

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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Jul12

We Appreciate our Robstown Foster Parents!

Celebrating Foster Care Awareness Month, Robstown foster parents were treated to a foster parent appreciation dinner on May 15th at Frank’s Spaghetti House  in Corpus Christi. It was our way of saying THANK YOU to our foster parents for everything they do. We all mingled, enjoyed a delicious dinner, and just had a good time being together.

robstown families

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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Jul01

All In the Rose Family: A Story of Foster Care Adoption

 

Rose adoption groupIn 2009, foster parents James and Marlene Rose joined Foster In Texas (FIT) through our Mesquite office. At that time they had four children in their home, placed through another agency.  Before long, the kids were reunified with their family.  We didn’t know the Rose family very well at the time, but they were adamant that they leave four beds open in the event the siblings were to return into care.  In the course of that year, they only fostered a few kids, so they could be available and there would always be space if these four children came back.

The Roses were so attached to these four children, they worried and thought about them constantly – Were they being taken care of adequately? Were they safe? Around Thanksgiving of 2009, Juan, Thomas, Chris, and Jasmin came back into care, and CPS called and requested the Rose home – filling the empty beds as planned. Then in August 2010, in an event the Roses call “a miracle,” the children’s mother had another baby and baby sister Lea was also placed with the Rose family.

Along the way, the Roses accepted PMC (Permanent Managing Conservatorship or legal guardianship) for the children, and on July 17,2012, they will all officially become Roses, and the name change will be final!

James Rose expresses gratitude for the support and encouragement of LSS-FIT in their journey to the adoption of the children. “We have been so blessed with these kiddos and know that we would never have made it without LSS-FIT being there and helping us help them. Now they really are our children and we wouldn’t want it any other way! Thanks for all everyone has done to make us all one family!!”

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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Jun11

Imagine That!

laredo imagin sign The Laredo Foster In Texas team took 35 area foster children and their foster parents to the IMAGINARIUM of South Texas, a children’s museum and learning center, where they had the opportunity to participate in all kinds of fun and brain-bending activities: hands-on science and math games, plus chemistry, engineering, and state-of-the-art learning experiences. Exhibits at the museum include the Magnetic Wonder Wall, the Shadow Room, Toddler Zone, Mercado, and the Dream Studio.

It’s common knowledge that children who engage in nature and science-based activities do better in school, which motivated the Laredo staff to coordinate the trip, especially when the kids are out of school for the summer and families are happy for. And of course, we treated all the foster children and their foster parents to lunch!

Formerly called the Laredo Children’s Museum, the Imaginarium is a non-profit corporation that was renamed and moved to the Mall del Norte in 2007. This unique collaborative space provided a wonderful interactive experience for the families. Thanks to the Lamar Bruni Vergara Grant for sponsoring this imagination-stretching day for our FIT families.

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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Jun01

Garage Sale For Good

ncmgaragesale For many of us, springtime brings to mind two words: GARAGE SALE! As the weather gets a little warmer, many families are gearing up for a little “out with the old” and hoping to clear some space for their summer stuff. One group of families in Denton and Argyle, Texas, decided to do just that and hold a community garage sale. Instead of using the proceeds to save up for a family vacation or to enjoy one extravagant barbeque, they decided to donate all the money raised to LSS’s Foster In Texas (FIT) Spiritual Care program. This program purchases Bibles and devotionals, and prepares family-centered Bible study material for the foster children and their families served by FIT across North Texas.

So early on a Saturday morning, each family brought their carloads in hopes of making a large contribution to a very worthy cause. Dressers, clothes, kids’ toys, and exercise equipment filled the driveway, while the children of the participating families manned a lemonade stand and donation station with treats and goodies for all who stopped by.

At the end of the day, the group of eight families raised $585 to support the Spiritual Care program for the more than 250 North Texas FIT foster children. What a creative (and easy!) way to support the children in their emotional healing. When one of the participants was asked what she hoped was accomplished from this fundraiser, she answered, “I just hope that others can see that it doesn’t take much to really make a difference in the lives of children who really need it. We just put on a garage sale … What can YOU do?”

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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May25

FIT Adoption Day in Laredo

laredo adoptions May 18th was a big day for Foster In Texas in Laredo. The 406th Judicial Court under Judge Oscar Hale consummated SIX(!) adoptions for our Laredo foster families. The court was filled with balloons and laughter, as the children anxiously waited for their turn to “officially” become part of a forever family at last! This was a day filled with joy and happiness for the children and their adoptive parents. This day was a reminder of why we love what we do!!

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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May22

Singing the Praises of Our Unsung Heroes During Foster Care Month

We’d like you to meet another one of our amazing foster families: Steve and Connie Murr. We think they’re amazing because of the work they do with our Foster In Texas (FIT) kids. The Murrs have fostered more than 200 children over the past 30 years! A big percentage of these children have had serious medical conditions that require extensive monitoring and a high level of care.

This video gives a little glimpse into “a day in the life” of the Murrs. They are busy people who love what they do – caring for the children who need it the most. Since May is National Foster Care Month, please join us in singing the praises of families like the Murrs! It’s also a great time to consider if becoming a foster parent might be in your own future—our online interest form is the starting point …

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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May14

Foster Care Month: Featuring Our Unsung Heroes

We’d like you to meet two of our Foster In Texas (FIT) parents: Marcel and Ann Perry. We think they’re amazing because of the work they do with our FIT kids. The Perrys are currently caring for six (!) teenage boys, if you can imagine it. We acknowledge that foster parenting is not an easy job, but for those families with the “right stuff” it’s more than a job, it’s a calling!

Foster parents like the Perrys want to give the children in their charge every chance in life. That often requires funding beyond the daily stipend they receive. If becoming a foster parent is a possibility in your future, we’d love to hear from you – Just go to the online application form. If not, and you admire and want to help support families like the Perrys, a donation to Foster In Texas would be a great way to show your appreciation – during National Foster Care Month and every day of the year.

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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May11

A Tribute to Foster Moms on Mother’s Day

MDay

Haiku

Kids with no first chance

Get a second one―because

Foster moms are there

YOU, foster moms, are a mother’s day gift from the heart! Twenty-four hours a day, you’re a source of comfort, stability, and love to children who have never known or experienced the meaning of the words. YOU are the most important part of the child’s treatment team. We are all part of this effort because we know and see for ourselves how well children can do when they have caring and reliable foster parents to help them through hard times.

A favorite column by Erma Bombeck tells of God in the act of creating mothers. On the day God created mothers He had already worked long overtime, and an angel said to Him, “Lord, you sure are spending a lot of time on this one.” God replied, “Have you read the specs on this model?” then rattles off a list of impossible requirements, including 180 moving parts and six pairs of hands, all able to run on black coffee and leftovers.

A foster mom’s specs demand even more than “standard” mother models. You must have a heart big enough to encompass other mothers’ children, and the fortitude to work through the challenges and issues that accompany their shattered pasts.

You know, if it was easy, anyone could do it. Remember, you’re not just anyone – you’re a FOSTER MOM.

Posted by Lonni Swanson
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