Twenty years ago, I believe the Lord put a calling on my life. After working in ministry, launching a church, and then running a child welfare agency, I believe the Lord gave me the mission of Safe Families.  It was driven by an incredible sadness regarding the...

by Kate Swanson, SFFC Wisconsin Chapter Director When you hear the phrase “it takes a village” who do you think of? Who is in your villagethat has allowed you to be strong and supported? Who supported you while you chasedyour dreams, took positive risks, made...

Lori Key, Chapter Director Safe Families for Children DFW In the foster community the system, while well-intentioned, can create a barrier between children, their parents, and the fostering family. They can care for the children but often cannot support the...

by Jessica Waszak, SFFC Oklahoma Chapter Director Recently, I attended a Hope Rising Summit and was impressed by the facilitator's repetition of one line...HOPE BEGETS HOPE! This simple idea that someone who is hopeful can actually share their hope with someone who...

I had been the chapter director in Raleigh/Durham for slightly more than a month when my Family Coach Supervisor called to tell me one of our moms was in the hospital and needed someone to sit with and advocate for her.  I walked into that hospital room on a Thursday...

Written from the Perspective of a Host Family from Portland, Oregon We first met Serena during the summer of 2020. I was approached by church staff that there was a local young lady in need of some resources as she was soon expecting her first baby. I was told in...

Written by Luke EppersonA Mat-Su host family with Safe Families for Children through Beacon Hill When Jesus showed up at my house, he had intestinal worms and ate three plates of spaghetti. He lovedtoy trains, and as a non-verbal four-year-old, he mostly grunted at...

by Emily Cowan, LMSW Family Support Team Supervisor | NYC Safe Families Chapter It’s easy to think of Disruptive Generosity, one of the three SFFC core values we’re reflecting on this month, as being wildly generous with our finances. But if you’ve spent any...

By Michelle Lussmyer (Family Coach Supervisor) and Kate Swanson (Engagement) Safe Families for Children Wisconsin When life gives you lemons, make lemonade is a proverbial phrase used to encourage optimism and a positive can-do attitude in the face of adversity or...

By Natalie Bezek, SFFC Chief Development Officer I reflected on this question often through my mid-twenties. As a single woman, I watched many friends get married and start families, and I often felt overlooked by God. The “good life” I imagined for myself and...

Alana Dennis, MS, MT-BC, CCLS SFFC State Director for Ohio/Pennsylvania “Children don’t grow up in programs, they grow up in families and communities.” Urie Bronfenbrenner Every April, our nation observes National Child Abuse Prevention Month to raise public awareness...

by Russ Hightower, Kansas SFFC Chapter It started out as many intakes. Juana, a young 17-year-old high school student, was referred to us by a community resource partner. She was a mother to a precious 1-year-old, Natalia, and was about to have her second child. A...