Our Grand Opening in Brownwood earlier this week was a huge success! We had an amazing turnout, with families enjoying food, games, and a special appearance by the Heart Gallery of Northwest Texas. Thank you to everyone who joined us to celebrate our new office and learn more about our foster care services. We’re excited to be part of the Brownwood community and look forward to making a lasting impact!
Take a look at our featured news article.
CEO Scott Lundy and CDO Larissa Potiomkin had the distinct honor of meeting the First Lady of Texas, Cecelia Abbott, in Tyler.
Together, they demonstrated their shared commitment to supporting the Heart Gallery of East Texas, an initiative dedicated to helping children in foster care find loving, permanent homes.
Their meeting underscores the continued efforts to advocate for these children and raise awareness about the importance of adoption and community involvement.
Our Kinship Team recently hosted a memorable camp for local kinship families at Camp4All in Burton, Texas.
The families enjoyed a fun-filled day, participating in a variety of engaging activities and games that fostered teamwork and connection.
To further enhance the experience, each family was gifted a swag bag filled with snacks, toys, and other goodies. It was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate and support kinship families while creating lasting memories in a joyful and supportive environment
On Saturday, September 14, 2024, Arrow Child & Family Ministries was honored to participate in the annual Essex Day Street Festival in Baltimore, Maryland. The vibrant and diverse Essex community provided an excellent opportunity to engage with families, share information about our programs, and celebrate the rich culture of the area.
Representatives from our Treatment Foster Care program were on hand to connect with families interested in becoming foster parents and to provide insight into the services offered by Arrow Community Services. Students from The Arrow Center for Education Schools were thrilled to see their school represented, adding to the excitement of the day.
We extend our sincere gratitude to Jennifer Pritchard for her outstanding efforts in organizing Arrow’s participation, and to our dedicated staff who contributed from setup to breakdown. Arrow Child & Family Ministries remains committed to making a positive impact in communities like Essex, and we look forward to continuing our work in fostering connections and supporting families.
There are over 22,000 churches in the state of Texas,” says Sydia Aguilar of Arrow Child & Family Ministries, a Texas foster care organization. “If one family from every church opened their home [to a foster child], we wouldn’t be in crisis.”
Aguilar is Arrow’s local foster care recruiter. The crisis she speaks of continues to develop. In Texas, the foster care system is currently responsible for more than 15,000 children. Some have been removed from environments of abuse or neglect. Others enter the system after parental incarceration or abandonment. All need a safe, temporary foster home.
Read more at: CLICK HERE!
Sempra Infrastructure today announced that Port Arthur LNG has awarded $100,000 in community grant funding through its Season of Giving Initiative. The initiative, a partnership with Port Arthur Newsmedia and Bechtel, distributes the funds to 41 nonprofit and community-based organizations in Greater Port Arthur. This infusion of funds helps organizations continue providing crucial support to vulnerable families during the holiday season.
Read more at: CLICK HERE!
We had the privilege of partnering with Target and the Harris County Precinct 4 Constables office to make the Christmas of some of our children in foster care just a little more special. Thank you Target and thank you to the heroes who helped our kids feel important!
Sign up for an info session or let us know you’re interested in foster care here. If you’re not ready to foster, but still want to make a difference in the lives of kids, you can volunteer or donate here.
TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – One of the biggest changes to the foster care system in East Texas is underway: privatization.
“This transition does create challenges, and there’s lots of need in our community,” said Smith County 321st District Court Judge Robert Wilson during the 4Kids4Families kickoff event at South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler.
Wilson has a deep understanding of the state of foster care. For years, he’s seen many East Texas families on their best and worst days in court. He also doesn’t shy away from the painstaking reality of what it’s like to be in Texas state care in 2023.
“We’ve had as many as 130 kids statewide without placement,” said Wilson. “That means that we have kids sleeping on the floors of CPS offices, in hotel rooms, or in rented spaces … or on gym floors. It’s not any easy solution to fix, but it’s not an acceptable solution at all.”
Read more at: CLICK HERE!
Mattress Mack and Gallery Furniture kindly invited Arrow Child & Family Ministries to enjoy Game 1 of the ALDS as the Houston Astros faced off against the Seattle Mariners. Mattress Mack, Gallery Furniture and the entire McIngvale family have been longtime supporters of Arrow and the children and families we serve.
Arrow had a ton of fun cheering on the Astros! We made signs, showed off our Houston and Arrow pride, and enjoyed the postseason activities at the ballpark.
We had many kids joining the Arrow group, including many who had never been to a ballgame before. They got to enjoy ice cream, Cracker Jacks, and singing along to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame!” And they even received a “First Baseball Game” certificate from the staff at Minute Maid!
The Astros were losing to the Mariners for the entire game, until a historic walk-off three-run homerun by Yordan Alvarez. The Astros were down 5-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning, and there were two outs. The game was down to the final two strikes when Alvarez hit his incredible homerun. It reminded us that no matter how bleak a situation looks, there is always hope!
Arrow is grateful to Mattress Mack for allowing us to cheer on the Astros and enjoy this wonderful afternoon! More importantly, we are grateful for the years of incredible support that Mack and the Gallery Furniture team have provided Arrow Child & Family Ministries. They have played a huge role in allowing us to pursue our mission: Helping Kids & Strengthening Families. #TogetherKidsWin
Residents at Freedom Place helped plan a red carpet themed banquet to celebrate the successful end of their school year. The original idea came from one of the residents who mentioned the wish to a staff member. The promise was made that it could be done and it was going to take a group of dedicated staff and volunteers to try and pull it off. Everyone knew the importance of following through to help build healthy relationships with the residents. They couldn’t let her down or the other residents!
It was time to get to work, the resident had shared her ideas on a storyboard outlining the entire event, down to every detail, including the theme and color scheme. Staff and volunteers started asking for donations. The volunteers from Golden Shears Salon in Spring, Texas heard about the idea. The stylists were so moved by the resident’s initiative and creativity, they decided to collaborate and get in on the planning and even volunteered to provide hairstyling and makeup for attendees on the night of the event.
That was just one of the items on the list that could be checked off. The biggest cost would be finding gowns to fit each of the residents. Golden Shears salon referred staff to a non-profit formal dress shopping program, called Ashley’s Cinderella Closet. Ashley, a local high school student, started it after Hurricane Harvey for students to attend their end of school year events and collected dresses from across the US. The need was still evident after the initial endeavor and Ashley continues to collect the gowns from donors and passes on the kindness by sharing them with those who need them for special events. Freedom Place’s event fit the need she would want to fill. When Ashley was contacted she readily agreed to help find the residents formal dresses. She provided multiple fittings and stylings of gowns for the residents to find their perfect dress, at no cost to Freedom Place. Ashley’s Cinderella Closet didn’t stop with providing the dresses in fact the whole family got involved. They provided beautiful decorations and paid to have a meal catered on the night of the event from a nearby Italian restaurant.
The night of the Oscar-worthy event was memorable! All of the residents looked and felt amazing in their gowns. The residents received special awards prepared by their staff and beautiful gift bags from a volunteer, Camy. Each of the residents was celebrated and had their picture taken, by volunteers, Amy and Becky, to commemorate the special day! And it turned out to be a very special time for the residents, staff, and volunteers. Everyone’s passion to see a resident’s wish granted turned into a very fun and formal evening that made great memories for them all!
Our first priority in all programs is care and safety. We make an active and intentional effort to prevent child abuse, including verbal, physical, emotional or sexual abuse, through implementing strict child safety protocols.
Arrow Child & Family Ministries is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization and is funded in part by The Texas Department of Family and Protective Services and The Maryland Department of Human Services.
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