Every year YFC hosts a Christmas Party for all our families, a time to celebrate the season and bless our foster families. Four years ago a foster mom, Becky Rhodes, a prior teacher decided that she wanted to start the Hand-in-Hand program to celebrate our foster kids with her students. Becky is no longer a teacher but now a staff at YFC and every year since she has worked tirelessly to recruit churches, businesses, and individual families to help sponsor this night.
On December 17th, 2009 over 100 families gathered to celebrate Christmas. Youth for Christ was honored to sever 248 Children; these children included, foster, adopted, and biological children of TYFC foster families. Children in Receiving Care that were placed hours before the party and After Care children received gifts as well. What a blessing it was to TYFC staff to watch over 200 children open presents and celebrate the season.
The night included a catered dinner for all, Christmas crafts, Carol singing, Elfs named Gumdrop and Sprinkles, and present time!!! Below are some pictures of our favorite Elves!
We would like to thank the below sponsors for helping to make this night a success!!
Trinity Church
The Roby Family & Harbor Covenant Church
Life Christian School
The Allpress Family & Abundant Life Foursquare
The Carver Family & Spirit and Truth Foursquare
The Hollstrom Family
The Schulhauser Family
And other who chose to remain anonymous.
Last year Jeff Clare received a call from Olympian Gold Medalist Stephanie Cox. She called asking Jeff if it would be possible for her to bless some of our teenagers. Jeff said it took ten minutes for Stephanie to actually say that she was an Olympian. She explained to him that she her parents were foster parents while she was growing up and she was raised with many different foster siblings. She told Jeff that she was sponsored by Nike and wanted to give some our kids the opportunity to have a shopping spree at Nike Town. Last year I was able to pick 5 teenage girls to go and they had a blast shopping at Nike Town.
This year I was given the same opportunity to pick 6 new teenagers to go with us. We took three boys and three girls and they were given $150 to spend at Nike Town. As we walked through the streets of Seattle they got really quiet but you could see they were excited and nervous at the same time. We met Stephanie Cox in the lobby of Nike Town and she explained to them who she was and that her whole purpose of this was to bless them! Then we let the kids go wild, they girls were eager to spend their money and the boys browsed for a while. But finally each kid easily spent $150 on shoes, boots, sweatshirts and shorts.
As I was watching all of the kids shop, one of the sales men asked me what we were doing there. One of my foster girls said “we are foster kids and Stephanie is blessing us”. He got all choked up and was a little teary eyed, he said that is really amazing, what a great Christmas present for these kids!!!
The best part of the night for me was watching the kids look at and hold Stephanie’s Olympic Gold Medal. I was so surprised by their reverence to the medal and the awe that they showed. The kids slowly passed the medal around and each had a chance to hold it.
In the car ride home the kids were very quiet and tired from a long day of shopping but it was great watching them show their foster parents everything they got.
by Anna.
This last week the YFC foster care staff was fortunate enough to attend that YFC Pacific Northwest Regional Conference in Cannon Beach. We had the opportunity to spend three days on the beach and being re-energized by National YFC staff members. A focus of the retreat was the calling that we feel to the youth in our community. I feel completely blessed to work with a staff that doesn’t work here for a paycheck or because they need a job, we work here because we have been called by God to work with the youth in our community.
We were challenged by Brian Muchmore, Seattle YFC Executive Director to work for the impossible with a God that is in the impossibility business! I love that statement and it is what I keep telling myself as challenges come that I think are impossible.
Below are a few highlights from the 5 case managers!
YFC Case Managers – Charisa, Sarah, Anna, Ciara and Katie. 
YFC Motto “Anchored to the Rock, Geared to the Times”.
YFC Case Manager Ciara, Katie, Sarah and Charisa.
Coming into foster care at age 13, loosing everything that is familiar, all family and friends and any cultural ties, is devastating to a teenage girl. Sara moved into one of our foster home over 4 years ago, at the beginning of 9th grade. She was very quiet, withdrawn and shy. Through many hours spent talking with Sara I got to know her pretty, she is smart, funny, sarcastic and very thoughtful. She has found a home at YFC and considers her foster parents as real parents.
Sara didn’t care that she was going to be a fifth year senior in high school or that she had failed a number of classes each year. Failure was easier to handle than hoping and wishing for good in her life. Sara never tried to set her sights high about her future, she was hopeless. Along came her social worker that wasn’t willing to let this smart, bright, young girl fall through the cracks of foster care. She met with her every month always asking the right question and staying on top of Sara’s education and goals. Her worker pushed her to take running start exams and look into some college programs. Sara has always thought about going into the cosmetology program but did not think it could or would ever happen. Sara passed the running start exams and was enrolled in running start and the cosmetology program at Clover Park.
A few weeks ago we spent the day walking around learning the campus, going to the bookstore, and getting her parking pass, on the way to our celebratory lunch Sara said quietly, “I never thought I’d go to college”. I told her I knew she would, that she is a smart girl and has a bright future a head of her. The foster mom has noted that Sara is now walking around the house with her shoulder back in confidence saying “I’m a college student, school is going to be hard but I’m a college student.” We have seen a dramatic change in this teen, what can a little push in the right direction do for other kids?
Sara knows the road is not going to be easy and that she has a lot of work to do but she is excited about what her future holds!!
by Anna Benson
Posted by (0) Comment
Friday mornings at Peirce County Juvenile Court are filled with laughter, balloons and cheers. I was privileged to be a part of this last Friday morning as Bruce and Shari adopted Marie, a 9 year old girl. Marie was so excited to be in a forever family she wanted to share her joy with everyone around.
Friday was especially meaningful to me because I was able to give Marie her Youth for Christ adoption blanket. Adoption Blankets are made by a loving supporter of YFC she embroiders soft fleece blankets with a cross, the child’s new name, and the date of their adoption. When I handed Marie her blanket on Friday she opened it with joy filled eyes and was so excited about what it said. The rest of the morning Marie did not put down the blanket, she showed everyone that came by what it said.
Marie with her forever family! Notice her YFC adoption blanket!
Recently, Jeff Clare, Sarah Snodgrass and I had the opportunity to attend a meeting held by our friends at Chapel Hill. They assembled 25 people from several local churches to get an idea of what TYFC and other foster care agencies could offer to families in their churches who are interested in foster care and adoption. I was overwhelmed by the excitement stirring in the hearts of Gig Harbor churches and families.
We had the opportunity to hear from an employee at DSHS who shared with the group what the needs of foster care are. One of the main needs was backpacks for foster kids. The churches in attendance pledged to sponsor 250 backpacks for school age foster kids. The exact number DSHS was asking for!!!
On June 23rd Chapel Hill is sponsoring a foster care information session. All local churches and families are invited to hear about foster care and the need our community has. A number of private agencies and the state will be there to share about what is happening in their programs. More information to come, please call Chapel Hill or TYFC with questions about the information night.
This is why I love YFC - Rebbecca was having a tuff morning...I called to talk with Katie she let me vent and then she prayed for us... we both feel better.
If you walk into our office this week you will hear “Bang, boom, saw” as our office gets a facelift. We are expanding the foster care ministry and building two new visit rooms with a viewing hallway.
Next week case manager row will no longer exist. This is where our new visit rooms will be, with a viewing hallway in between. As a contracted agency with the State of Washington we facilitate visits with children in foster care and their parents. Most of our visits are supervised which means that we see and hear everything that happens during a visit. Our viewing hallways help us facilitate a supervised visit without intruding on family time.
We try to make our visit rooms as inviting and fun as possible. Tom and Ellen, YFC foster parents and Patricia, a YFC case aide will spend the next couple of weekends painting under the sea and Noah’s Ark murals on the walls to make the visit rooms more enjoyable for the kids and families.
Below is what Case Manager row looks like currently, next week it will be all walled in with three separate rooms.
The old kitchen and 3rd visit room have been gutted and will be turned into new offices for the case managers, yes they will now have doors!!!
The women’s restroom has also been gutted and will become our new staff kitchen and our other two bathrooms will be used for the office staff and guests.
We are excited about the new changes and look forward to expanding the ministry of YFC Foster Care. Stop in once the remodel is done and get a tour of our newly remodeled offices!!!
