Deshaun remembers entering the foster care system as a little boy—age six to be exact. In fact, he remembers it so vividly that he can tell you what song was playing on the radio while he was being driven to his first foster home.
While some memories bring back the pain of growing up in foster care, Deshaun will also tell you about the amazing “parents” he had throughout his 12 years in the foster care system. He praises them for their willingness to take him in and love him when there was no one else.
Deshaun’s story represents the thousands of children in Michigan who are faced with this same reality every day. They are scared, alone, and waiting for a family to take them in and love them.
Trinity, Utica is looking to its congregation to help find homes for youth just like Deshaun. Trinity recently hosted a Foster Care Awareness event in partnership with Lutheran Child & Family Service of Michigan (LCFS). This effort, led by Pastor Justin Krupsky, was the first step in saying we need to help meet this need.
This event was designed as a one-hour educational event for families to learn more about what it means to be a foster parent. The event identified a number of ways that families could get involved even if they were not ready to commit to being foster parents at that time. The evening was made up of powerful stories from current LCFS foster parents, and Deshaun shared his inspiring journey as well.
LCFS Metro Detroit Regional Director, Steve Zwart, was humbled by Trinity’s compassion. “We are so grateful to have partnered with Trinity, Utica for this event. Their willingness to do everything in their power to help educate families on the need for foster parents in Michigan should be celebrated. It is partnerships like this that truly help change the outcome of a child’s life.”
To find out how your congregation can host a Foster Care Awareness event in partnership with Lutheran Child & Family Service of Michigan, please contact Dawn White at dwhite@lcfsmi.org or 989.686.7650 ext. 1006.
According to the Michigan Department of Human Services (DHS), there are more than 14,000 children in foster care at any given time.
“Picture the Possibilities” at www.lcfsmi.org.
