More homes available for foster care

While the number of children in foster care in Cherokee County is declining, the availability of foster homes is on the rise.

In January 2008, Cherokee had 70 foster homes, according to D'Anna Liber, director of Cherokee's Department of Family and Children Services. That number increased to 77 in January 2009. This year, the county has 79.

There were 271 children in foster care in January 2008. That number dropped to 207 in January 2009. Currently, the number is holding at 156.

Mrs. Liber said the department works to place children in the care of relatives before placing them into foster homes.

"I think it's because of our approach to exhaust a ll resources before we move the child from the home," she said as to why there are fewer children in foster care.

As to why the department is seeing more foster homes, Mrs. Liber said DFCS also has worked to recruit a variety of families, including those who want to foster only one child and those who want to foster siblings.

To provide a support network with families, DFCS has established a partnership with Embrace Cherokee, an organization tasked with recruiting more foster families and providing support of current foster families.

"Embrace has been helping us support foster parents by enhancing communication, providing mentoring to foster parents and assisting in training," Ms. Liber said.

Also to recruit more homes, Ms. Liber said DFCS is participating in the statewide Raise Me Up campaign, which encourages people to support children in foster care.

Calling Georgia's foster care system a "crisis," First Baptist Woods tock is collaborating with a nonprofit, Christian organization to conduct orientation sessions for prospective foster families.

The church and Alpharetta-based FaithBridge Foster Care, a group that partners with local churches to provide support to foster families, will conduct Christian Foster Care Ministry orientation sessions from 4 to 6 p.m. on Sunday and Feb. 28.

The orientations, which are free and open to the public, are at the church at 11905 Highway 92 in Woodstock.

Craig Ormsby, minister of services at the church, said the goal is to raise awareness of the need for foster families and to talk about its efforts to recruit families. First Baptist Woodstock currently has 27 foster families within its congregation.

The church is hoping to recruit at least 25 more families, Ormsby said.

"From our perspective, we want them to feel they've been led to this opportunity by the Lord," Ormsby added.

Since begi nning its Foster Care Ministry in 2008, the church has served about 60 children.

The ministry began after Senior Pastor Dr. Johnny Hunt shared a "burden" with the church. Hunt was inspired by Georgia's First Lady Mary Perdue's pro-foster care stance to ask members of his congregation to "obey God's word and care for the orphans," Ormsby said.

"When one considers James 1:27, 'Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world,' the church must be moved to action and having on its heart that which is on our Savior's heart," Hunt said in a statement about the orientations. "We must care for these children."

And since the beginning the church's efforts, Courtney Lott has obeyed the Lord's calling.

Mrs. Lott and her husband have been foster parents through the church since October 2008. Mrs. Lott's first foster chil d was a 12-year-old boy who stayed with her family for five days.

They now are fostering a 4-year-old boy and a 3-year-old boy. They've had both boys at their Dallas home for almost 17 months, she said.

"We felt the Lord was calling us to take care of the foster care crisis," she said as to why she and her husband decided to become foster parents.

After the two younger boys came to their home, Mrs. Lott said there was an "adjustment period" as the older boy did not speak English. Luckily, she said, her husband speaks Spanish and was able to teach the young boy English.

Mrs. Lott said she would consider adopting the two boys if the opportunity presented itself.

"It's rewarding," she said of being a foster parent.

Jim and Tiffany Fredrickson of Holly Springs have been foster parents for seven months to an elementary school-aged boy. The Fredricksons said they've always wanted to adopt, but could never complete various adoption processes.

When the foster child moved into their home, Fredrickson said the little boy was "very reserved and very quiet."

However, in the seven months since, the child has opened up, his grades went from Cs and Ds to Bs and he's made friends.

"He's just a blessing," Fredrickson said. "He's a little boy who desperately needs love and encouragement."

Like Mrs. Lott, Fredrickson said he would consider adoption of the young child if it was offered.

Fredrickson said he hopes other people step up to the plate and become foster parents to Georgia's most needy children.

"It is the best thing we've ever done," he said.