The Foster Collaborative

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We connect, collaborate, and serve as one community to support children and families in foster care.

10/28/2026

💚 Have you registered for Replanted yet?

Whether you’re a foster parent, adoptive parent, part of a kinship family, or someone who supports children and families, Replanted is for YOU! 🌱

November 20–21 at Pathway Community Church in Fort Wayne for a weekend of connection, encouragement, and practical tools for the foster care, adoption, and kinship journey.

✨ Connect with people who get it
✨ Learn from others who have walked a similar road
✨ Find encouragement, support, and fresh perspective
✨ Be reminded that you don’t have to do this alone!

You don’t have to be a foster or adoptive parent to attend. If you care about children and families in our community, there’s a place for you here!

💚 Come find your people, grow your village, and be reminded that we’re better together.

🎟️ Register today! Early-bird registration is extended through November 1 for just $39. Scholarships are also available!

👉 Link in Bio or
Register here: https://brushfire.com/replantedministry/2026/634651

10/22/2026

🎧 Podcast Recommendation: Episode 97 – Lessons from a Foster Dad

Looking for some encouragement and fresh perspective on the foster care journey? Check out Episode 97 of the Foster Friendly Podcast! 💚

Co-hosts Travis Vangsnes and Courtney Williams sit down with Corey McKinney to talk about his journey as a foster dad and mentor. From navigating the challenges of fostering to parenting teens, addressing bullying, and building trust, Corey shares the importance of patience, structure, communication, and showing kids they are loved.

One of the biggest reminders? Hope, consistency, and having someone who believes in you can make a lasting difference. Every child deserves adults who are willing to show up, offer guidance, and keep loving them through the hard stuff.

Whether you’re a foster parent, work with children and families, or simply want to learn more about foster care, this episode is worth a listen!

🎧 Listen to Foster Friendly Podcast – Episode 97: Lessons from a Foster Dad wherever you listen to podcasts!

10/21/2026

💙 **Thank you to everyone who joined us for our quarterly meeting yesterday!**

Yesterday, we worked on a puzzle with a missing piece, reminding us that it takes ALL of us working together to support children and families in our community. From wraparound support and biological family support to professional services, child welfare, kinship care, adoption, and foster care support, every piece matters! We each have a role to play, and together, we can make a bigger impact. 🧩

It was beautiful to pray together, share our experiences, and connect over our shared passion for stepping into the world of child welfare and supporting children and families in our community.

We loved sharing more about our mission and some of the amazing projects happening through the Collaborative, including **Replanted** and **Royal Family KIDS Camp!** We also talked about two additional ways we can make a difference: monthly prayer with DCS and our **365 Prayer Project.**

Couldn't attend yesterday? No worries! You can learn more about all of these projects on our website. **Link in bio!** Be sure to sign up for our newsletter and follow us here on social media to stay connected.

We'd love for you to join us at our next quarterly meeting on **January 19, 2027!**

We're grateful to be part of a community that comes together to pray, encourage one another, and make a difference in the lives of children and families. 💙

10/14/2026

💚 KINSHIP CARE: FACT vs. FICTION

What exactly is kinship care? 🤔

Kinship care is when a child is cared for by a relative or another trusted adult when they can’t safely remain with their parents. This might be a grandparent, aunt, uncle, older sibling, family friend, or another familiar person who steps up for a child.

Let’s bust a few myths! 👇

✨ FICTION: Kinship care only means grandparents raising grandchildren.
💚 FACT: Kinship caregivers can be relatives or other trusted adults who already have a meaningful connection with the child.

✨ FICTION: Children living with family don’t need extra support.
💚 FACT: Kinship caregivers may need financial resources, respite, encouragement, and help navigating the child welfare system.

✨ FICTION: Kids living with someone they know don’t experience trauma.
💚 FACT: Even when children are surrounded by familiar faces, they may still experience grief, uncertainty, and big emotions.

✨ FICTION: Family should be able to handle it all on their own.
💚 FACT: Kinship caregivers deserve a village, too! Support from friends, churches, schools, and community organizations can make a huge difference.

Kinship caregivers often step up unexpectedly, out of love, to give a child safety, stability, and connection when they need it most. 💚

Being family doesn’t mean the journey is easy. And no caregiver should have to walk it alone.

Let’s show up for kinship families in our community! 🫶

10/07/2026

🌱 Have you heard about Replanted?

If you are involved in foster care, adoption, or kinship care—or you simply support the people walking those journeys—Replanted is for you!

It’s a great opportunity to spend time with other people who get it, learn from others, be encouraged, and build connections with people who are passionate about supporting children and families.

Whether you’re a foster parent, adoptive parent, kinship caregiver, a professional, a church member, or someone who just wants to learn more… come to Replanted! 💛

📅 November 20–21, 2026
📍1010 Carroll Rd | Fort Wayne, IN

Come spend a couple of days with people who understand the journey, want to support one another, and are committed to helping kids and families thrive.

Check out Replanted and come be part of the conversation! 🌱

Link in the bio or click here to register: https://brushfire.com/replantedministry/2026/634651

09/30/2026

Sometimes, showing up is the greatest gift you can give. 💙

When we think about supporting children in foster care, we often think about foster families—and they are so important. But there are other ways we can step into the story, too.

You can be a mentor.

Whether a child is in traditional foster care or kinship care, every child deserves safe, caring adults who will show up, stay consistent, and be genuine.

And the beautiful thing? Mentoring doesn’t have to cost money. It just costs time.

⚽ Meet at the park and kick a soccer ball.
🚲 Go for a bike ride.
🍦 Grab an ice cream cone.
🎨 Do a craft together.
📚 Read a book.
💬 Sit and talk about their day.

It doesn't have to be complicated or extravagant. What matters is consistency. A child knowing, “You said you would be here, and you came.”

We are calling on churches and individuals to step forward and become part of the village surrounding children in foster and kinship care. You don't have to know exactly what to say or have all the answers. You simply need a willingness to invest your time, build a relationship, and show up authentically.

Every child deserves someone in their corner.

“Let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth.” — 1 John 3:18

Who will you show up for? 💙

09/23/2026

💛 September is National Su***de Prevention Month 💛

This month, we’re reminded that every life matters, every story matters, and no one should have to carry their pain alone.

For children, teens, parents, foster parents, caregivers, and our neighbors, life can sometimes feel overwhelming. Foster care, kinship care and family challenges can bring big emotions, grief, uncertainty, and stress. Sometimes the most important thing we can do is slow down, check in, and truly listen.

You don’t have to have the perfect words. Simply asking, “Are you okay?” or “Are you thinking about hurting yourself?” can open the door to a conversation that could save a life.

💛 Be the person who checks in.
💛 Be the person who listens without judgment.
💛 Be the person who stays.
💛 Be the person who helps connect someone to support.

If you or someone you know is struggling, help is available 24/7.

📞 Call or text 988 to reach the 988 Su***de & Crisis Lifeline.
💻 988lifeline.org offers additional resources and support.

And remember: asking about su***de does not put the idea in someone’s head—it can give them permission to share what they’re carrying.

Let’s keep checking in, keep showing up, and keep reminding one another: You are not alone. Your life matters. 💛

09/16/2026

Love does hard things. ❤️ And foster care is worth it.

Foster care can be beautiful, but let’s be honest—it can also be really hard. There are hard goodbyes, hard conversations, challenging behaviors, court dates, uncertainty, and moments when you may wonder, “Can I really keep doing this?”

The answer is: you were never meant to do it alone.

One of the greatest gifts you can give yourself as a foster parent is community. Find a local support group. Sit around a table with people who understand. Share the hard stuff, celebrate the victories, ask questions, pray together, and remind one another why you said yes in the first place.

Whether you need a listening ear, practical advice, prayer, or simply someone who gets it—reach out.

🌿 Connect with a local foster care support group through LifeLine or True Vine and find your people. Comment below of other local support groups!

You don't have to have it all together. You don't have to carry it all by yourself. There is a village ready to walk beside you.

“Two are better than one... If either of them falls down, one can help the other up.” — Ecclesiastes 4:9–10

Love does hard things. And sometimes love looks like letting someone else help you carry the hard things. ❤️

09/09/2026

Sometimes, healing happens around the table. 🤍

This week after church, a child in foster care will sit around a table and share a meal with their foster parents and their biological parents.

It may look like an ordinary lunch—but sometimes, the most ordinary moments can become extraordinary opportunities for healing.

Around a table, walls can come down. Conversations can happen. Laughter can be shared. A child can see the adults in their life working together and loving them well. There may be hard moments, too, but there is something powerful about creating a space where everyone can simply be together.

A meal can say, “You belong here. You are loved. There is room for you at this table.”

Foster care is often filled with meetings, court dates, paperwork, and difficult conversations. But it can also be filled with pizza nights, birthday celebrations, Sunday lunches, shared stories, and moments of connection.

Sometimes healing doesn’t happen in a conference room. Sometimes it happens around a table, one meal and one relationship at a time.

“They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts.” — Acts 2:46

May we be people who make room at the table—for children, biological families, foster families, and anyone who needs a place to belong. ❤️

09/02/2026

There’s more than one way to make a difference. ❤️

You don’t have to foster or adopt to be part of the story. You can mentor. Advocate. Volunteer. Pray. You can bring a meal, offer encouragement, show up for a foster family, speak up for vulnerable children, or simply be someone who says, “You don’t have to do this alone.”

Every role matters. Every yes makes a difference. And when we work together, we can create a stronger community of hope and support for children and families.

“Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace.” — 1 Peter 4:10

✨ Adopt. Foster. Mentor. Advocate. Volunteer. Pray.
Find your place. Use your gifts. Be part of the village.

Check out our link in bio.

Address

1010 Carroll Road
Fort Wayne, IN
46825-1558

Website

http://fosterallencounty.org/, https://brushfire.com/replantedministry/2026/634651

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