Forward in Hope Archives • Page 5 of 11 • Saint Francis Ministries

Strong Families Are Powered by Love

July 2023 · Forward in Hope

Cheerful multiethnic extended family taking selfie and having fun together while gathering on patio.

Saint Francis Ministries believes – actually, we know – that strong families make children’s lives better … because the fundamental feature of a strong family is love. Strong families nurture children and provide structure and safety in the home. Strong families communicate and discipline in healthy ways. Strong families provide food, clothing, shelter, and proper medical care for children. And all of these are manifestations of love.

Here’s Your Pre-holiday Safety Check

June 2023 · Forward in Hope

Although the July 4th holiday doesn’t officially take place until Tuesday, many will begin celebrating this weekend. That means fireworks, grills, and swimming. Carelessness with any of these three can turn a fun celebration into a tragedy.

June is National Family Reunification Month

June 2023 · Forward in Hope

Foster care is fundamentally a temporary solution to a crisis situation. The goal of all foster care placement is the child’s eventual safe return home. Until that happens, child welfare agencies like Saint Francis Ministries work with the parents to help them address the issues that led to their child’s removal and placement into foster care.

Like Mothers, Fathers Play an Essential Role in Their Kids’ Lives

June 2023 · Fatherhood FIRE, Forward in Hope

“Fathering is not something perfect men do, but something that perfects the man. The end product of child raising is not the child, but the parent.” Frank Pittman

National Safety Month – Be Prepared

June 2023 · Forward in Hope

Each month, we bring a focus on a different topic as a nation, and June brings National Safety Awareness Month. The National Safety Council (NSC) has identified focus areas for each week of National Safety Month.

Memorial Day – summer fun and somber remembrance

May 2023 · Forward in Hope

The traditional kick-off to summer, Memorial Day weekend brings to mind outdoor family fun – grilling, swimming, camping, boating – you get the picture. And since Saint Francis is all about families, we love the holiday.

Summer brings both busy streets and quiet spaces

May 2023 · Forward in Hope

Wherever you live, odds are kids are getting out of school for the summer this week or within the next couple. That means, there will soon be lots more activity on the sidewalks, streets, and common areas of our communities.

Mental Health Awareness is essential to our work

May 2023 · Forward in Hope

Mental Health Awareness Month takes place every May, and it’s one of those monthly observances that means a lot to Saint Francis Ministries. Just a couple weeks ago, our clinical services director, Pam Cornwell, discussed the relationship between trauma and mental health and how it affects those in our care.

Is there room in your home this National Foster Care Month?

May 2023 · Forward in Hope

One of Saint Francis Ministries largest programs is foster care. Last year, we served about 4,200 children and teens in foster and kinship care in four of the six states where we have a presence – Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and Nebraska. On top of that, we worked with 905 foster/kinship homes to help ensure those young people were properly cared for until they could either reunite with their families or achieve some other type of permanency.

May: Trauma Awareness & Mental Health Awareness Month

April 2023 · Forward in Hope

Monday marks the beginning of both Trauma and Mental Health Awareness Month, so this week we explore how trauma and mental illness correlate with each other. Traumatic events are those situations that put you or someone close to you at risk of serious harm or death.

Behavioral Health

Independent Living

Organization News

Residential Care

Strengthening Families