Saint Francis Ministries has partnered with Scheels® Wichita to give several youth in foster care a special Christmas this year. Dubbed “Shop with a Cop,” Scheels will present 10 teens with a $500 gift card, which they can then use to shop this Sunday before the store opens. Each teen will also be teamed with a law enforcement officer during their shopping spree.
Gratitude. It’s a game-changer. Christian theologian Meister Eckhart said, "If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is ‘Thank you’, that will be enough.” Gratitude simply makes life better – for children, for families, for organizations.
Thanksgiving reminds us of the reasons for gratitude in our lives, especially the family and friends that brighten our days and remind us that we are loved. Yet for many children in foster care, the holidays – especially Christmas – means separation from those they love most. That’s why Saint Francis’ “Christmas for Kids” program is so important.
One of the reasons that Saint Francis Ministries has remained a leader in the field of child and family welfare for more than 78 years is the expertise and skill our people bring to the table. Across the field, Saint Francis staff are regularly recognized for their research, innovation, advocacy, and contributions to advancing the care of children and families.
November is National Adoption Month, and nationwide about 114,000 children and youth wait to be adopted. For us, it presents an opportunity to raise awareness of adoption issues, acknowledge the need for adoptive families for teens in the U.S. foster care system, and emphasize the importance of youth engagement. All these are represented through this year’s theme – “Empowering Youth: Finding Points of Connection.”
Bullying is no longer the humorous film trope it used to be. We may have laughed at Biff’s bullying of Marty McFly in “Back to the Future,” but we now know that bullying can have lasting, traumatic effects on kids.
In the month of October, we dedicate our efforts to shedding light on the critical issue of domestic violence and to acknowledging the staggering statistics that reveal the prevalence of this deeply troubling problem in our society.
October is National Substance Use Prevention Month and a good time to talk about SFM’s alcohol and drug counseling services. We don’t use a one-size-fits-all treatment approach to treatment. We provide outpatient and intensive outpatient evidence-based, family-oriented substance use programs.
Today, October 4, is the annual feast day that commemorates Saint Francis Ministries’ namesake and patron saint, St. Francis of Assisi.
When it comes to behavioral health, it’s tempting to focus on symptoms rather than the causes. But as Archbishop Desmond Tutu said, “There comes a point where we need to stop just pulling people out of the river. We need to go upstream and find out why they're falling in.”
