Caring "Parents" Needed

At CSF we have started a ministry that I believe will overtime make a huge difference in our community, city and even one day our world. Our Public School Impact ministry is up and running. Kristen Wood oversees this creative and unique ministry.

We have aligned ourselves with a few schools in our area so that we can partner with them in needed areas for the kids. We have CSF volunteers who on a regular basis go to schools and help tutor after school, watch the lunch rooms, work in the library, assist in the class rooms, serve at school functions, lead FCA and CYC and much more.

Over the last few years we have always been involved in helping the school with certain projects or "one-time" events. However, now we are partnering with CMS and Union county to provide trained, background checked weekly volunteers. One really cool thing is that we have entire Home Teams that have taken this on as a service project and they all help the same school together. However, as of right now we have the schools calling us asking for more help than we have volunteers to send them.

One HUGE need that we have been asked to help with is very important to the individual lives of special needs kids. Our public schools have kids who have disabilities and yet can still go to and enjoy the privilege of a free education via a public school. However, many of these kids do not have loving homes like you and I provide for our kids. They are wards of the state or have parents who are unknown, unavailable or worse yet just uninvolved.

The way the system works is that these special kids will get better individual care and education that they specially need when they have someone who will be an advocate for them. Once a year a parent or a "surrogate" parent must go to an IEP meeting and make sure that the child's needs are made known and that their needs are being met by the school system. Without this yearly meeting and having someone to state their case and make the state aware, many of these special kids don't get the specific care they really need.

Our family is well aware of the system. It has worked reasonably well for us and Ellie has been treated with special and specific public school care. However, this is only happens because we are involved parents who want what it best for our daughter. Even with moving into her new home....Ellie goes every day to a special class with wonderful special teachers, nurses and the like. I can tell you that this is NOT the case with many children like Ellie. The funds are there and the special help is available....however, many of these special kids get less than they need.

The school board has asked us if we will provide a few of these kids with "surrogate" parents. Those who will take a little time to know the child's needs and what is offered via the school and then just attend this yearly meeting and make sure the child gets what is available. Not hard....not much time.....but a huge difference in these kids lives!

Some may ask....should a church be getting involved in such matters??? I can tell you that this is exactly what the church should be doing in a local community. Helping, serving and protecting the "least of these" and the "orphans" of our world. If not us...who?

Church in the community is a TEAM sport! If you want to join the CSF public school team, please contact Kristine Wood at CSF.

Today's Bible Reading: Galatians Chapter 4...

I love verses 17-19 . Paul tells them that it is great to be passionate and zealous....as long as what you are zealous about is the correct thing and things that are true and beneficial.