 It’s been another beautiful week here in KC and we got to spend it hearing so many amazing stories of impact happening in our programs. An 18 year old youth in our Dare to Dream Program was excited to finally learn to drive! During his last meetup with his mentor, they decided to meet in a parking lot and this amazing youth got to drive for the first time. There was so much joy in reaching this milestone together!  This amazing Dare to Dream mentor (and all of our mentors) has worked hard to continue the work of pouring into his youth and helping him to be independent and learn the skills he needs to make it in this world! He knows that by showing up and doing things his youth is interested in, he can make a lasting impact on his life and their relationship. “The Dare to Dream program is amazing, and being a mentor and part of the program is something I'm extremely proud of. It's giving me the opportunity to help someone who really needs some support in their life, and I've developed a relationship with my mentee that I fully believe will be a lifelong relationship and bond”. Being a mentor or love box leader isn't about spending the most money or buying the best gifts or dropping off a "Food Network" worthy meal - it is about showing up for another person, it is about being supportive with a call or a text, it is about DOING LIFE TOGETHER. Our programs are about people, not about stuff.
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The heart of KCMO Angels lies in our mission - to walk alongside children, youth, and families in the foster care community by offering consistent support through intentional giving, relationship building, and mentorship. Through this walk, we find all kinds of helpers. We get people and companies who want to donate money and supplies, we get people who are interested in serving on our board to help grow the organization to reach more kids and families, we get people who have a heart for serving and want to volunteer to help those in the foster care system. But the person we are telling you about today is ALL of these things. This person has made OUR mission HER mission - and for that we are eternally grateful.  Robin found out about KCMO Angels through her incredible daughter who was serving on our founding board. At a dinner one night, Robin got to hear more about the story of Angels and what we are trying to do to change the disheartening statistics children and youth in foster care are facing. Both Robin and her husband Bill, know that the only way non-profit organizations can stay afloat is through donations so they committed to helping our mission and cause without hesitation. But that just wasn’t enough for Robin. After becoming a donor, she felt a call to become a volunteer in one of our programs. Not only did Robin believe in our mission enough to give monetarily, she believed enough to give of her time…everyone's most valuable asset. Along with her dear friend Leslie, (The dynamic Love Box Duo!) they signed up to be LoveBox Leaders with a fostering family on our waitlist. Each month, at least once a month, they pour love and time into the children in this family’s home that are currently experiencing foster care. The support and care and concern they offer to this family is above and beyond. The lives of all those in this home are positively impacted by Robin and her friend. After becoming a volunteer, Robin decided to add yet ANOTHER way she could support the Angels mission. She became a member of our Advisory Board. This position is 100% volunteer and Robin is so giving of her time and talents to help in this way. When my husband and I first started fostering seven years ago, we struggled. Our first placement had medical needs, as did our two year old biological daughter, and I was eight months pregnant. I look back at the level of stress we were under and remember the feeling of not being seen or heard. We had minimal support but desperately wanted to continue to help our community as foster caregivers. Years later when we moved, we found a National Angels chapter and were matched in their Love Box program.  As my husband and I explained what led us to foster, they all listened, they all cared. Our love Box group asked about the kids in our home, and as I answered them I realized how many social, emotional and physical needs the kiddos in our home had, and it permitted me to feel the weight of what we were doing. It was a task - a big one - but the Love Box program gives foster families space to be heard and seen, to be valued in the role we take on, and proud to be foster parents. They meet the practical needs of our family as we transition with new kiddos coming in and out, and make the remaining members of the family feel just as important.  Our Love Box volunteers have been with us for two years and have blessed us greatly by checking in on us, surprising us, and supporting us. I can’t count the number of times we were given detergent at just the right moment, or leaned on a gift card for supper when we were having a hard week. Those things have been the answers to the unspoken prayers and needs we have had along this journey.
In 2019, I attended a women’s conference with some friends and had no idea that my world was about to change. Before our first lunch break, I watched a short but impactful clip from our parent organization, National Angels. I listened to our CEO speak of the bleak statistics that our children in foster care face and as I looked around the room, I realized that not one person, including me had ever heard this information before. And I couldn't help but think - a lot of people must not know. I was shocked to learn that only 50% of our foster youth are graduating high school, only 3% of foster youth go on to graduate with a college degree, over 60% of our local homeless population has spent time in foster care, and as a country - almost 70% of our prison populations have spent time in care. The statistics were unacceptable - but I felt a bolt of lightning in my chest and just thought…I have to do something about this, I CAN do something about this. My name is Anne Walton and I am the Executive Director of KCMO Angels, an organization of passionate people that wrap community around children, youth and families experiencing foster care.  I flew home from that conference and shared with my family that I wanted to quit my corporate job and start a chapter of National Angels right here in Kansas City, Missouri. The support I received was overwhelming and amazing. In fact - it was that immediate support that reassured me every step of the way that I was doing the right thing. This was meant to be. Here we are, three years later, THRIVING! Launching a non-profit in January of 2020 right before a pandemic was not exactly ideal. I would be lying if I said I didn’t doubt what our future would hold. However the incredible people of Kansas City continue to show us that KC cares, and we are so needed. Since inception, we have served over 600 children and over 40 families. We have been able to wrap community, and intentional consistent support around not only these children and youth in foster care, but their caretakers as well. When caretakers feel supported, they can continue the very important work of fostering. When children who come from hard places feel seen and heard, they can start to believe that they can have any future they choose. And that is our hope for every child and youth experiencing foster care - to see a future full of hope and joy and love. Our programs aim to do that and we won't stop until we reach the 2,000+ kids in our community experiencing the foster care system.
Together as a city, we are changing the stats of foster care … one sweet child at a time. |
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October 2024
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