Human trafficking, also known as trafficking in persons, includes both forced labor and sex trafficking. It’s a crime, and many of its victims are children. That’s why it matters to Saint Francis Ministries.
As year’s go, 2022 has delivered both challenges and opportunities to Saint Francis Ministries. So, in one respect, it’s not much different from any other year. Still, the last several years have been a bit stressful for everyone, thanks to COVID and a host of other sociopolitical “stuff.”
The holidays can be a rough time for children in foster care. Heck, they can be tough for those of us who don’t deal with half the things kids in care navigate, not to mention birth and foster families.
We’re well into the Christmas season, which makes this a good time to reflect upon the season of giving and the end of the year. We all give in different ways – whether it’s our time, knowledge, experience, volunteer work, or money. We know through research that acts of giving and kindness create “good feelings” through the release of endorphins in our brain.
What does Christmas mean to you? For many of us, it’s about family … and home. After all, that’s what Christmas is really about, isn’t it? A child, a family, a safe place to lay our heads?
Maria Brady used to suffer from insomnia. Whether from relief or fatigue, she has little difficulty falling asleep now. On November 9, she and her husband, Scott, finalized the adoptions of her two biological grandchildren and their half-sister, ending a four-year odyssey through the foster care and court systems.
“If the only prayer you ever say in your entire life is thank you, it will be enough.” This quote by 12th century priest and mystic Meister Eckhart points to the great spiritual power of gratitude. Living with gratitude not only has the capacity to deepen our spiritual lives, it’s also good for our health and quality of life.
Children come to foster care from all walks of life and every community. Most enter foster care due to abuse or neglect, while others exhibit behavioral disorders. As a foster care provider, Saint Francis strives to keep sibling groups together and in their home community. If possible, we place them with family members. Yet sometimes that’s not possible. Still, whatever the child’s story, foster care is and should always remain a last resort.
There’s the family you were born into and the family you choose. John Arellano, JP, has both. One of Saint Francis Ministries’ longest serving foster parents, he’s built his family by becoming family to many of the 175 boys he’s fostered since 1999. And he’s done it as a single parent, most recently by working full-time as a truant officer for the Garden City, Kansas, school district and at his local YMCA.
Throughout October our IT department has talked about cybersecurity. For Saint Francis Ministries – as for any child welfare agency – cybersecurity is essential. An important part of our care for the children and families we serve involves the protection of their privacy. This includes their medical and treatment information, as well as their case files. In most cases, it also involves their identities.