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Foster Care / Adoption, Ministry News, Press Releases, Texas

Saint Francis Ministries in Texas is moving into Stage II of Community-Based Care

September 2021 · Foster Care / Adoption, Ministry News, Press Releases, Texas

– Saint Francis Ministries in Texas is excited to announce our engagement in Stage II contract negotiations with the Office of Community-Based Care. In this, Saint Francis will begin the transition of work within Region 1 in partnership with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. We appreciate the opportunity and confidence in moving to Stage II of Community-Based Care and look forward to serving the children and families in Region 1 in a greater capacity.

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Saint Francis Kansas Foster Family of the Year: Lance and Mandy Tally

June 2021 · Foster Care / Adoption, Foster Family Features, Kansas

Licensed more than four years ago, the Tally family didn’t hesitate to wade into the deep end with their first long-term placement – a sibling set of four. Shortly afterwards, they added a fifth placement while the child waited for a kinship assessment. They’ve also fostered a teen, so she could remain in the community until she finished high school. They gave her a car and helped her apply for college and open a bank account. As far as Lance and Mandy are concerned, these actions are all just part of being an advocate for children in their care.

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Adoption grows and heals: ‘Everyone knew we would be the ones to step up’

January 2021 · Foster Care / Adoption, Foster Family Features, Ministry News

Joseph’s younger sister, Vanessa, passed away four days after giving birth in December 2018. At her death, her two daughters from a previous relationship went to live with their birth father’s family. Four days after her mother passed, Alexis turned 10 years old. The girls entered foster care in January 2018, and in April, they came to live with Joseph and Tonya as a kinship placement. None of their lives would be the same – and yet, they were all the better for it.

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Care Portal Meets Urgent Needs During Crisis

July 2020 · Foster Care / Adoption, Hi-Lites, Ministry News

Headed for an appointment across town with two little children in the back seat, the last thing Carolyn needed was car trouble. Yet, that’s what she got. Ever since she volunteered to provide kinship care to her 3- and 4-year-old relatives, she’d relied on that car to transport them to doctor appointments, visitations, and case management meetings. Now she had no vehicle. And though she works full-time, the repair costs were way beyond her means. She relayed her predicament to her Saint Francis case worker, who submitted a needs request to CarePortal, and within hours a local church stepped up to pay for Carolyn’s car repairs.

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Support for Urgent Services Needed

July 2020 · Coronavirus, Foster Care / Adoption, Hi-Lites, Ministry News

The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented shift in how Saint Francis Ministries approaches the services we provide for children and families. Impacts from the pandemic unfolded over several months in the communities where Saint Francis works, and the organization expects to see long-term challenges. With an initial focus on supporting staff and clients in staying safe and healthy, Saint Francis has begun to develop new ways of serving children and families.

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Being a military family means material, spiritual support for foster family

September 2019 · Foster Care / Adoption, Foster Family Features

Military families posted far from home often must rely on each other for support. This is especially true for those who serve children in need, along with serving their country. Nicole Berry knows this firsthand. She considers her Army friends and neighbors as much of a family as any connected genetically. The same goes for her spiritual family at St. Francis Xavier Catholic Church.

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Bigger Than Our Fears

April 2019 · Foster Care / Adoption, Foster Family Features, Ministry News

At first, Silas Pederson believed the task too big. The idea that he and Micah, fresh from college and newly married, could capably care for a blind and deaf child facing a mountain of medical issues seemed ludicrous. The prospect of disruption and trials frightened and overwhelmed him. So, he did what he typically does when the path is uncertain - he prayed.

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