A group that aims to connect those in need with those who can help them is working to expand its efforts across Northeast Georgia. Promise686 gave a presentation to approximately 30 family advocates and church leaders from Rabun and Habersham Counties on May 22. The presentation was hosted by the Habersham County Farm Bureau.
Promise 686 is a non-profit agency that raises awareness for the needs of vulnerable children in a community. Promise686 recruits and equips foster and adoptive families. It creates a care community for those families that care for at-risk children. All of this is shared with member churches to make a better community.
The organization’s mission is to follow in the promise of Psalms 68:6, “God sets the lonely in families.”
Hurting families
The Georgia State Director for Promise686 Patrick Neff asked the audience, “Why should the government be the only one that knows where children and families are hurting?”
Unfortunately, DFCS case workers are the ones that see and work with hurting families and children. Promise686 assists DFCS in providing various resources through community churches to provide basic needs in assisting at-risk families so the children can remain in the biological home and keep families together.
Promise686 also works with those families that take in foster children to provide them with support so the foster parents can receive training or assist in physical or emotional needs the family may have to provide for the foster children more comfortably. It also helps in providing grants to assist in adoption.
Neff was a pastor for 27 years and always wanted to help families that were hurting but did not know who those families were unless they showed up at his church. He states that was one of the things he loved about Promise686. “Our mission is to mobilize churches to care for vulnerable children and families.”
He shared that as a pastor, he thought that children that were in foster care were there due to abuse. However, he later found out that about 75%-80% of children in the United States that ended up in foster care were due to neglect. He stated that in the United States there are approximately 12.4 million children in poverty.
He explained that in many of the cases that put families and children at-risk is the absence of a support network. Without that support network, it can take only one negative thing impacting a family to start the spiraling effect where after a short period of time, the children and family are at-risk.
Foster children
Every year approximately 25,000 children age out of the foster care system that don’t have a forever family. Of that 25,000, nearly 80% of their children end up in the foster care system. Also, about 40%-50% of those children that age out of the system become homeless. “That’s why we come together to help break that cycle,” Neff explained to the group.
Promise686 started the Family Advocacy Ministries (FAMs) that helps provide what vulnerable children need the most- strong families. Needs are met and lives are changed by creating a support system for foster and adoptive families, and biological families in crisis.
Area Director for Promise686 Jean Rector said to the group that one thing they worked towards was preventing children from going into foster care. She explained that placing a child in foster care was removing the child from everything they know. Not only is the child removed from their home and family, but in some cases, removed from their current school or even the community they live in which can be traumatic for the child.
However, there are times when a foster family is needed to care for at-risk children. According to Rector, there are not enough foster families and about 50% of those that become foster families quit after the first year. Promise686 assists churches in providing support for foster families and creating a network that normalizes foster children’s lives.
CarePortal
To assist families in need, Promise686 and churches utilize a national online platform called CarePortal. The platform allows postings for needs that a family has. A church, a DFCS case worker, or an individual can post about a family that may have need. Through CarePortal, other churches may be able to provide assistance to that family.
Many of the needs seen on CarePortal are needs that will help strengthen a biological family. It helps with the needs of foster families as well. Promise 686 is the implementer for CarePortal in the state of Georgia.
Promise686 started in 2007 in Peachtree Corners at Perimeter Church. It became incorporated in 2009 as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization. Over the last 17 years, it has grown and now operates in 41 states, has 2,000 church partners, and 20,000 volunteers.
In Georgia, Habersham County became the 43rd county in the state that Promise686 has launched in to provide support for vulnerable children and families.
Promise686 and CarePortal are both non-profit organizations. You do not have to be a church to become involved. Businesses and individuals can assist in making a family and a child’s life better.
If you would like more information about Promise686, you can go to its website at promise686.org. Also, for information about CarePortal, you can go to its website at careportal.org.
