In the town of Meeker in Northwest Colorado, a Project 1.27 family is making a huge impact in the foster care and adoption world. Rich and Beth Ford started their family with four biological girls. They looked into becoming foster parents while living in Elizabeth, CO but realized quickly it wasn’t the time or season. Several years later, they moved to Meeker, Beth’s hometown. Rich had grown up in nearby Craig, and Northwest Colorado felt like home to them both. Almost empty nesters at this point, they were walking around their new home one day, and Beth thought, “Wouldn’t this be a great place for kids to grow up?”
Fourteen days later, the Fords received a phone call asking if they would take care of their great-nephews, who were 2.5 and 18 months at the time. Beth and Rich said yes to the kinship placement. The boys’ mother was pregnant at the time, so eight months later, the third boy came to live with them, too. Two years later, they finalized the adoption of the three boys. After welcoming other children into their home, including a sibling set of five, the Fords decided to encourage others to get involved. “We realized there was a huge need right in our own backyard,” Rich remembers. Children were being placed with families as far as Sterling, Montrose, Alamosa, and Grand Junction because there weren’t enough homes available in Rio Blanco County. In 2019, the Fords went through Project 1.27 training to recertify as foster parents, and this time, they brought five families from the church they pastor with them. They have since received approval from Rio Blanco County to recruit and train foster parents using Project 1.27’s curriculum. The Ford family is excited to offer connections and personal experiences to future foster families in their county. They also hope to bring FamiliesCare to their area so they can support families at every level. Beth shared, “Especially in smaller communities, everyone is tied together. A lot of times, we already know [the biological family] and are a part of the family and involved early on.” Because of this, FamiliesCare, supporting biological families before kids are removed, is a natural addition to the work the Fords are already doing in Rio Blanco County. Two of Beth and Rich’s biological daughters have gone through Project 1.27 training and are currently foster parents. Beth’s brother and sister, both members of their church, have fostered and adopted, too. In their small church of 100 people, there are currently 19 adopted children. Besides pastoring their church and training foster parents, the Ford family owns a Meeker restaurant. “All of our children love to help and work at the family business. We love that everyone can be a part of it and help build something together." Beth and Rich continue to encourage people to get involved in foster care. “James 1.27 is for everyone,” Rich stated. “Even if you can’t foster, you can support families, and you can give financially. Everyone can do something, even if you’re not called to open your home.” By Jenny Watson, Director of Communication and Events
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![]() Over the last 5 years, Project 1.27 has worked to support churches in being foster and adoption friendly. We used the name Foster Friendly Church as a designation to help those involved in foster care quickly identify a church as a trauma-informed congregation where children and families involved with foster care and adoption would be welcomed and supported. Over the past year, God has been guiding Project 1.27 board and staff in implementing new programs to support churches interested in serving vulnerable children and families before children need to be removed. We’ve also been working more and more with kinship (relative) caregivers. God has blessed us with this verse in Isaiah 43, giving us a glimpse of all He is and will be doing. Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. One new thing is changing our identifier for churches from Foster Friendly Church to James 1:27 Church. Foster Care is a concept that vulnerable families try to avoid and as churches do more and more work to keep families together, we think James 1:27 will be more friendly to those families and still serve as a quick identifier for those involved with foster care and adoption. If your church has already completed the steps to be a Foster Friendly Church, your church is identified on our James 1:27 church webpage. If your church would like to be identified as a James 1:27 church or just take advantage of Project 1.27’s great trauma-informed church training, click here for more information. What are some of the new things at Project 1.27?
VISION: Every child in a nurturing, well-supported family. MISSION: To engage, inspire, recruit and resource churches and families to serve children in our community through faith-based family preservation, kinship care, foster care, and adoption. TAGLINE: Kids need families. Families need You. There are some things at Project 1.27 that haven’t changed. Project 1.27 remains an organization where deep faith and a huge vision come together to fulfill the Christian’s responsibility to care for kids in foster care. Go to our Provide Family page for info on becoming a foster or adoptive parent, including our upcoming Info Meetings. The new things just provide ways for God’s people to support vulnerable kids in new ways, including preventing them from ever needing to be in out-of-home placement. God is doing a new thing and showing us new ways to live out James 1:27- Pure and undefiled religion is this, to care for orphans in their distress. In Scripture, the word orphan means “a child without the protection and provision of a family” and there are many kids in our community that need protection and provision. We can help them, and their caregivers, discover God’s way in the wilderness and streams in the desert. In the coming weeks, I hope you will join Project 1.27 in being part of God’s new things because- Kids need families. Families need YOU! By Shelly Radic, Project 1.27 President In the first half of 2023, I received two new knees. During three months of surgeries and physical therapy, I often wondered if restoration was possible, if all the pain was worth it. Finally, I’m enjoying the new freedom of movement without pain or a cane!
Over the last few years, God has been doing some new things in Project 1.27. Unsurprisingly, these are springing out of a challenging season, the unknowns of a pandemic, and seismic cultural shifts. It has been and still is a bumpy journey, so I’m thankful for His words in Isaiah 43:19- Behold, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. Isaiah 43 starts with some words I’ve repeatedly turned to, “Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are Mine.” Maybe you’re in a wilderness place today. I encourage you to read through God’s promises to be present, to protect, and to provide for you. More than that, when we trust in God’s promises and focus on Him instead of our current circumstances, we watch as he restores and makes things better. This can be true in our own lives and in the lives of the kids and families we serve. What are some of the new things at Project 1.27?
VISION: Every child in a nurturing, well-supported family. MISSION: To engage, inspire, recruit and resource churches and families to serve children in our community through faith-based family preservation, kinship care, foster care, and adoption. TAGLINE: Kids need families. Families need You. There are some things at Project 1.27 that haven’t changed. Project 1.27 remains an organization where deep faith and a huge vision come together to fulfill the Christian’s responsibility to care for kids in foster care. Visit our Provide Family page for info on becoming a foster or adoptive parent, including our upcoming Info Meetings. The new things just provide ways for God’s people to support vulnerable kids in new ways, including preventing them from ever needing to be in out-of-home placement. God is doing a new thing and showing us new ways to live out James 1:27- Pure and undefiled religion is this, to care for orphans in their distress. In Scripture, the word orphan means “a child without the protection and provision of a family,” and many kids in our community need protection and provision. We can help them and their caregivers discover God’s way in the wilderness and streams in the desert. In the coming weeks, I hope you will join Project 1.27 in being part of God’s new things because- Kids need families. Families need YOU! By Shelly Radic, Project 1.27 President Tai Thergood was a single parent working 80 hours a week to provide for his three children when they were removed from his custody and placed into foster care. [1] Tai is the first to admit he had a lot to learn about being a father—he grew up without one—but when the caseworker showed up to investigate reports of neglect, Tai’s impression was she was not interested in helping him but was removing the kids as a knee-jerk reaction. It was the worst day of his life. It took Ty ten years to regain custody of his children, during which he joined a fathers’ support group, got a mentor, and started taking better care of himself, too. Ty is now a parent consultant to the Department of Children and Families in his home state of Connecticut. He works to help caseworkers do a better job of working with parents to promote children’s safety and family well-being.
When children experience abuse or neglect, that trauma harms their emotional, physical, and mental health. Sometimes removing a child from his or her family is a heart-breaking necessity to keep them safe. At the same time, when a child is placed into foster care, the dislocation from his or her home, biological family, and often neighborhood and school add another layer of loss and trauma to their life. More and more, child welfare providers are working to support biological families in keeping their children safe rather than removing children prematurely. Often the challenge is finding the resources to support these families and helping families access them. This is where Project 1.27’s new program, FamiliesCare, comes in. FamiliesCare empowers families at risk of child removal to stay safe, stay together, and thrive by training a group from a church to encourage and support a family. Lack of a support network is a key risk factor for families struggling to care for their children. In FamiliesCare, a group of 5-8 volunteers from a local church brings the family a meal once a week, a bag of groceries once a month, helps them access helpful resources in the community and plans a low-key get-together once a month. At the heart of it, FamiliesCare is about relationships. It’s an opportunity for the church to live out their faith by building relationships with a family referred by the Department of Human Services who is asking for help and participating in the program voluntarily. As a pastor I know likes to say, “Hope shows up when people who care show up.” Recognizing the importance of children growing up with their biological family, Governor Jared Polis recently declared June 2023 to be Family Reunification Month in Colorado. He stated that “community partners…play a vital role in helping to reunify, strengthen and support families” and that “families are better when they are together.” Project 1.27 is proud to be one of those community partners. We believe the relationships built in FamiliesCare will be transformative for the families we serve and the volunteers. For more info, visit project127.org/familiescare By Fred Elliot-Hart, FamiliesCare Director [1] https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/connecticut-reduced-foster-care-population-third-2019-rcna51876?utm_medium=email&utm_source=govdelivery Foster care is supporting children and their parents during a period of separation. This involves co-parenting with the child’s biological parents. Co-parenting can be one of the hardest parts of a foster parent’s job. Done well, co-parenting can be an essential factor in the child’s smooth return home and reduce the likelihood that the child will reenter foster care. Co-parenting is a gift to kids in foster care because they see the adults in their life working as a team and struggling less with divided loyalties. The foster parent can also serve as a healthy parenting role model for the biological parents.
9 Tips for Co-Parenting
Written by Marilyn Robinson, Family Care Director In honor of Caseworker Appreciation Month, Project 1.27 reached out to Jaalah Neerhof of the Collaborative Foster Care Program of Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties to ask her about her work, her heart for children in foster care, and any advice she has for prospective and current foster parents.
Tell me about yourself. Where do you currently work, and what does your job entail? I work at the Collaborative Foster Care Program with Arapahoe, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties as a Recruitment and Retention Caseworker. My role is to recruit new families for general foster care, representing all demographics to hopefully match the children in care. In addition to recruiting, my role includes retaining current certified families. This is done with developing community partners who help support our families in a number of ways including: sending gift cards to families when they are going through a difficult season or case; filling needs such as bunk beds, high chairs, and other unique requests; freezer meal outreach; hosting Kids Night Out to give foster parents a much-deserved break; foster closets or unlimited access to thrift store items for new placements; Wrap Around support to surround a foster family and help sustain them long term; Business engagement to either give discounts to certified families or host information meetings to their employees and the general public around them. Why did you want to become a caseworker? What led you to this career? I can’t say this was a career I sought out, but it found me. I have been in the Child Welfare field for over 16 years. I have developed a passion for the families who say yes to opening their homes to care for our most vulnerable children and youth within our communities. It is not an easy ask nor an easy task. And these families continue to show up for our kids in amazing ways. I am passionate about finding more support and resources to help lighten the lift and carry foster families through their difficult days. They deserve all the help in the world. What are your favorite things about your profession? What are some of the most rewarding things about your profession? One of the most rewarding things about my current role is hearing the positive stories when a child’s life is impacted for good, and they have positive and healthy examples in their lives! My biggest joy is showing appreciation toward our families, celebrating them, and finding new resources to help them. Statistics show the average foster family burns out and closes after the first year or after their first placement. What are your least favorite things about your profession? What are the hardest things about your profession? The hardest part of my profession is not having enough families to care for all the youth in foster care. Hearing about youth not having a home to lay their head or about a youth bouncing between homes as they don’t have a long-term placement option is disheartening. We need more families to foster youth in care. What things do you want people to know about your profession? We need you. We need more foster families. We need families to love and accept our youth. We need people to support families of origin and the journey back home for our children in out-of-home placement as the goal of child welfare. We need people to surround, support and love on the families that say yes to this call. There is a place for everyone to serve in some capacity. What advice do you have for prospective foster families? There will never be the ‘perfect’ time to say yes. Just like having children of your own, you are never fully prepared. If you are afraid it would be too difficult, we’d say you are the right person for the job. These kids deserve to be loved intensely. What advice do you have for current foster families? Be flexible. Be loving. Have grace, forgiveness, and endurance. Thank you for sacrificing and giving so much of yourself, your family, and your home to these children in need. Lean into your tribe. Lean into your certification worker. Use any and all resources offered your way, and ask for help. You're not alone. How can foster families and community members support caseworkers? There are so many ways to get involved! Call your local county or CPA, and ask what they need. Take charge and lead an outreach within your circle of family, friends, church, neighborhood, and community. Get others involved. Tell me about the roundtables with Project 1.27 and Colorado Kids Belong. Why did they start, and what is the goal of the meetings? The CFCP has been actively working with Project 1.27 and Colorado Kids Belong roundtable discussions since 2018. Through these meetings, we have seen several faith-based organizations join the mission to help spread the word about the need for more foster families and engage their communities in leading a Foster Care outreach. Our families have been on the receiving end of these programs, where they have helped support and sustain them. "Foster care and adoption provided obstacles and challenges to our marriage," Rachel Graham, a Project 1.27 parent, shared during this interview, "But I can honestly say we are happily married." Rachel and Arick Graham knew early in their marriage that foster care and adoption would be a part of their journey as a couple. When they first became foster parents in 2016, they were a young family with three biological children ranging in age from 3-6 years old. They were also business owners, and Arick served as their church's worship leader and missions pastor. Shortly after becoming certified, they welcomed a sibling set of two into their home, eventually adopting both children in 2019. Arick remembers, "Foster care added strain to an already busy life, and it took time to figure out how to get in a rhythm. We learned quickly that we couldn't do it alone. We needed help." Looking back, the Grahams have a few regrets from the early days of fostering. "I wish we did better," Rachel shared. "I wish we hadn't waited so long to get soul care. When we started counseling, it impacted our marriage so much that I wish we had done it earlier." Arick recalls, "Early on, I shoved down emotions, which wasn't good for our family. I had to learn to engage emotions like disappointment, anger, and sorrow and work through my family history." Today, Arick and Rachel Graham are the parents of 5 children aged 7-14. They will celebrate their 18th anniversary this summer. Looking back, the couple knows they only survived the hard seasons with God's help. "God has been gracious to us and our marriage. It's hard, not easy, and we have things we've done well, but we did them well by the grace of God. Things we didn't do well, we made it through by the grace of God. We are where we are today because we've drawn from His deep well of grace." Arick and Rachel shared with Project 1.27 some tangible things that have made a difference in their marriage through the last 18 years. Make your marriage a priority. "We found it was important to press into God and each other," Rachel shared. The Grahams knew that their marriage mattered to God, and they made it a priority. They've realized that it's harder to prioritize their marriage when they're busy, so they focus on finding space on the calendar to slow down and spend time together. "Our counselor told us to write down what it looks like to make our marriage a priority. To write down practical steps we could take and then add the plan to the calendar." Find Rhythm in each Season. Family life is ever-evolving, and every season is different. Before they became foster parents, the Graham family had a sweet season where they could focus on their biological kids. During the first two years of foster care, they felt like so much was out of their control and struggled to keep their heads above water. Now the Graham family is in a season where all five kids are in sports, and they've realized they've overcommitted themselves. Everyone is going in different directions to different activities. They've decided to take a break from sports for the summer to practice a slower pace as a family. They hope to camp and take vacations and focus on resting. Arick notes, "Every season is different, and you must take time and identify the season's rhythm and how you can still keep your priorities." Rachel adds, "Sometimes it's just recognizing that you're in a hard or busy season, but it won't last forever." Find time for Date Nights. "You can't underestimate a good date night!" Rachel shared. The Grahams recalled times early in their fostering journey when they were in the trenches, wondering how they would fit a date night in."We had to be okay with short date nights and staying close to home," Rachel recalls. If their younger two had a visit with their biological family, Arick and Rachel would get a sitter for the other three kids and spend an hour together at a coffee shop. They also had to learn to trust their community. "I would think that no one in their right mind would want to be here with our five kids," Rachel shared, "But I had to learn that they wanted to help and that they loved us enough to watch our kids." Rachel remembers when some of her children had challenging behaviors, and she didn't think there was any way she could leave but knew she had to try. Thankfully, God brought them babysitters who could handle the behaviors for a short amount of time. "It's easy to isolate yourself and think it's impossible to get away without kids," Arick said, "But ask God to make a way. Ask him to bring babysitters and to bring community." Laugh together. "You have to laugh through it all," Rachel shares, "You can just cry, or you can laugh and cry, and we chose to laugh and cry." The Grahams have relied on humor to get them through some of their most challenging seasons. They remember days when they were trying to figure out the foster care system, balancing visits with biological parents, and seeing behaviors they'd never encountered. "Without humor, without laughing, it would have been rough," Rachel adds. "We knew we had bit off more than we could chew, so we had to take the pressure off and the seriousness off." Spend 20 minutes together on the couch. Rachel remembers learning about "20 on the Couch" at a marriage conference they attended, and the Grahams have implemented it ever since. "After the kids go to bed, we set aside 20 minutes for the two of us to sit together and talk. We're not problem-solving, we're not planning anything, we are just talking and being together." Pray together daily. The Grahams take time daily to pray together and pray for each other. Rachel notes, "It's hard to stay mad at someone you're blessing." Written by Jenny Watson
Project 1.27 Communication and Events Manager Remember that moment in the big box store when you realized the “honeymoon” was over as you (and everyone else in Aisle 7) watched the precious child you’d been fostering have all their big feelings erupt in a huge melt-down? It’s not uncommon for those eruptions to come again (and again) when that same precious child enters a new stage of development, especially adolescence and pre-adolescence. Instead of the big box store, these later stage behavior challenges usually erupt first at home. Communication breaks down and more big feelings surface. The child and other family members can easily get caught up in a “fight, flight or freeze” cycle that impacts the emotional and even physical well-being of everyone.
Many parents discover that tried and true parenting tools and resources are ineffective. At some point, that precious child may refuse any boundaries. As one sibling said, “I never knew saying no to that boundary was even an option!” Parents seek help from mental health, school and spiritual professionals and then seek higher levels of treatment. Nothing seems to work. Daily calls from the school. Hospitalization and even police visits occur. Answers and resources that work are hard to find. While the resources for healing will be different for every child, there are some things you can do as a parent as you go through this turbulent, scary time. The same things you leaned into as a new foster or kinship parent can help you in this new situation, but you may need to lean even harder. Prayer. Activate your prayer warriors. For me, it was my mom and a small group of other mothers who had struggling teens. These women prayed when I was so tired and fearful that I could hardly utter an amen. Ask God to show you a Scripture verse to pray over your child, write out your prayer as well as a gratitude list. When worry and stress keep you up at night, read your prayer and review your gratitude list. Listening to audio Psalms and even whispered prayers of desperation can calm your soul and usher God’s healing presence into your family. Safety. Consider what each family member needs to be physically and emotionally safe. That includes you! Do you need to re-think sleep or play space? Can one or more children stay temporarily with a friend or family member? Can your work schedule flex to provide more adult or two-adult supervision? Does every family member have a safe person to talk with about concerns and feelings? Is out-of-home mental health care needed? Connections. When family life is in chaos, it’s tempting to isolate from family, friends and services. Isolation is the enemy. It separates you from prayer warriors, safety, services and resources. Email or call Project1.27. We won’t have all the answers, but we will listen, pray, brainstorm and work to connect you with resources. Reach out to your foster and adoption community. Push your school, medical and mental health professionals for higher level resources. If you don’t hear back, call again. Connections, part 2. Look for opportunities to connect in positive ways with your spouse and all your kids. For kids, join them in favorite activities. If it’s basketball, shoot some hoops. If it’s dancing, film a silly video. If it’s music, even music that’s not your favorite, listen together. For your spouse, find places of agreement, and utilize friends to provide childcare so you can get away for a few hours. For your precious, struggling child, write a note or text reminding her of her strengths or stop for a shake after therapy. Even when she doesn’t respond, keep offering connection. Grappling with Grief and Guilt. Acknowledge that this is not the family life you dreamed about. Write down what you are grieving – maybe its family game nights, cheering at a school awards ceremony or visiting possible colleges. Acknowledge what is good like a big hug after school or bedtime conversations Grapple with your guilt. Remember the QTIP – Quit Taking It Personally. Those big emotions may be directed at you, but they are not about you. Let go of guilt. Wait. This is perhaps the hardest part. When you’ve leaned hard into prayer, creating safety, making connections and grappling with grief and guilt and nothing’s changed or the change you see is for the worse. Wait. God is working. Lean into God’s promises. (Click here for God’s Promises for the Wait) Written By Shelly Radic Project 1.27 President Recently, I attended a roundtable event where leaders from area churches came to discuss the needs of foster families and how the church can meet those needs. The hard reality is that 50% of foster families quit within their first year because, let’s face it, foster Care is a big ask. It’s constant appointments, saying goodbye to kids you love, and navigating a confusing system. At this roundtable, the leaders recognized the hard reality that foster care isn’t easy. They also recognized that when the local church comes together, more needs can be met, and the possibility of foster parents being able to keep going is much higher. This roundtable recognized that when the body of Christ comes together, more can be accomplished than when we try to do things alone! One church offered to hold a Kids' Night Out event so that foster parents could be refreshed. Another offered to train the attending churches in how to wrap around foster families with meals, babysitting, and other essentials.
3 Tips for Church Collaboration
1 Corinthians 12:4 says, ‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.’ It was a beautiful gift for me to see the local church come together and ask, ‘What are our gifts?’ Written By Rhonda Denison Project 1.27 Community Relations and FamiliesCare Manager January means New Year’s Resolutions, and many of us consider changes we want to make for the year and the goals we want to set. Often these include health (I will give up carbs and walk every day), personal growth (I will read 85 books and learn to speak German), finances (I will stop buying Starbucks...and Black Rock...and Dutch Bros), and spiritual goals (I will read through the whole Bible this year). As parents, we often include goals that pertain to our children (I will not yell, have patience, and stick to a routine). And as February approaches, we’ve often already failed at most (if not all) of our goals for the new year.
For foster and adoptive parents, New Year’s resolutions regarding family and relationships can be incredibly stressful and disappointing. Often, our hope for our children and parenting doesn’t shake out as planned, and we lose hope. Here are some things to consider when making your New Year’s Resolutions: 1. Be Flexible. Resolutions don’t have to be forever. Make a goal but know that you may need to reevaluate after a day, week, or month. If something isn’t working, change it. Trying to power through will only lead to stress for you and your child. Instead of, “We will go to bed every night by 8:00 pm and have everything ready for the morning.” Try, “We will go to bed close to 8:00 pm, aiming to have things ready for the morning.” 2. Avoid Absolutes Aim for words like “less” and “more” instead of “never,” “always,” and “only.” Instead of, “We will only have video games for one hour on Saturdays.” Try “We will have less screen time during the week.” 3. Focus on “Yes” goals instead of “No” goals Restricting things is often frustrating and challenging to sustain. Try to rephrase your goals in a positive, encouraging way. Instead of, “I will not yell when I'm angry.” Try, “I will take a deep breath or find a moment alone when I'm feeling upset.” 4. Give yourself (and your family) grace. Having too high of expectations is hard on everyone. Some days are just plain hard, and it’s better for everyone involved to recognize that all routines/goals/rules might need to take a “day off.” Instead of, “I will play with my kids for 30 minutes every day.” Try, “I will play more.” We all want to be better parents, but it’s essential not to fall into the trap of trying to be perfect. When we follow these guidelines, we’re still working toward positive change without feeling we failed. And when the goal isn’t strict or absolute, we’re more likely to keep working toward it even when we have a rough day, make a mistake, or fall short. |
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