In September, Connie Maxwell Children’s Ministries (CMCM) hosted two THRIVE events at Taylors First Baptist Church in Taylors, S.C., and Lake Murray Baptist Church in Lexington, S.C.
Nearly 250 people—CMCM foster families, families licensed with other agencies, volunteers and staff—attended the events. The nights involved training, encouragement, childcare, food, fellowship, games and door prizes, including a two-night all-inclusive stay at the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, N.C., for two Connie Maxwell foster families. These giveaways were donated by the South Carolina Baptist Convention (SCBC).
Connie Maxwell aims to partner with local churches to help care for families in the trenches of foster care. Jay Boyd sees the THRIVE events as part of a bigger vision that will grow in the years ahead. “Of course, we want to see the number of fosters families increase, but we also know how important it is to help our current families feel equipped and supported in their journey.”
Paula Reed, Director of Foster Care, was thrilled with the response from our foster families and other fostering families in our community. “This is just one of the ways we love to celebrate the people who pour so much of themselves into the lives of children in need of a safe, stable and Christian family environment, ” shared Reed.
During the event, foster families encouraged one another in their journey and heard from keynote speaker Maggie Dunn as she shared the joy and struggles of being a foster parent.
Dunn is a Michigan-born and bred lover of Jesus, wife, mother and therapist. She has worked in the child welfare system for twenty years and is a sought-after conference speaker on related issues. Her goal is to help eradicate the idea of “unadoptable” and “aging out.” In 2012, Dunn and her husband, Jason, founded House of Providence, a therapeutic residential facility for older foster youth languishing with little or no prospect for permanency. Together with their two biological children, they added six children from foster care to their family over the years.
One of the attendees, Margie Fotinos expressed her gratitude for the foster care event. “Maggie was helpful with teaching how a child must process their trauma and how to help them go through the process as a parent. The more information we can hear on trauma-informed parenting, the better we can help our foster children in our care.”
Thank you to Maggie and Jason Dunn, who refused reimbursement for their meals, rental car and lodging. The sacrifice they made to encourage foster care families does not go unnoticed.
Thank you, also, to Taylors First Baptist Church and Lake Murray Baptist Church for hosting these events. Both churches partnered with CMCM to provide food, volunteers and the event space.
Lastly, a huge thank you to our Connie Maxwell foster families. Without you, we would not be able to make the dreams of our children come true.
One component of our 10-year strategic plan, A Decade of Dreams, is to grow our Foster Care ministry to 200 families. If you would like to learn more about what it means to be a foster parent, visit conniemaxwell.com/what-we-do/foster-care.
