Spring 2012 Fostering Hope Newsletter - COBYS Family Services

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Mission Statement Motivated by Christian faith, COBYS Family Services educates, supports, and empowers children and adults to reach their full potential. Board of Directors Whit Buckwalter, President Tom Weber, Vice-President Rose Walmer, Secretary Gail Graybill Carson, Treasurer Pamela Ament Arthur Kreider Wendy Egolf John Layman Nancy Fittery John Wise Debra Krantz Administrative Staff Mark Cunningham, Executive Director Mary Sourber, Director of Placement Services Donald Fitzkee, Director of Development Cynthia Umberger, Controller Bethany Kauffman-Raub, Office Manager Janae Sauder, Adoption Supervisor Michele Romeo Martin, Supervisor of Counseling Services Abby Keiser, Family Life Education Supervisor Sharon Kingsley, Foster Care Supervisor Nicole Schwartz, Permanency Unit Supervisor Fostering Hope is the quarterly newsletter of COBYS Family Services, a Christian family service agency, affiliated with the Atlantic Northeast District of the Church of the Brethren. Editor/Designer: Donald R. Fitzkee COBYS Family Services 1417 Oregon Road Leola, PA 17540 Phone: 717-656-6580 800-452-6517 Fax: 717-656-3056 www.cobys.org Embracing Our Christian Identity Last fall, consultant Geoff Davis, of Conversations (and of Hempfield Church of the Brethren, where he serves as an associate pastor) led the staff of the COBYS leadership team and six board members through three half-day sessions of strategic planning. The goal was to evaluate where we are as an organization and determine directions for the future. A 30-page document containing a number of insights resulted from those meetings, which will help move us forward for the next five years. While specific goals for COBYS came out of the discussions, the underlying theme that permeated the entire process was a strong desire for COBYS to be an organization that embraces and celebrates our Christian identity. As a first step in implementing our Strategic Plan, at its January meeting the Board of Directors reaffirmed our mission statement: “Motivated by Christian faith, COBYS Family Services educates, supports, and empowers children and adults to reach their full potential.” Additionally, the board approved new core values to further define what kind of organization we are and aspire to be: Core Values • Life is Sacred. Believing that all people are created in the image of God, we recognize the inherent worth of each client by exhibiting empathy, compassion, and respect. • Integrity. We strive to be honest, authentic, and trustworthy in saying what we mean, matching our behaviors to our words, and taking responsibility for our actions. • Faith. Jesus is Lord of our organization. We trust him to provide for our ministry’s needs and to empower transformation in our own lives and in the lives of those we serve. • Teamwork. Respecting our unique contributions, we value and care for each other, both personally and professionally, and enjoy working and growing together. • Servanthood. Servant leadership is reflected perfectly in the life and person of Jesus Christ. We seek to integrate the highest standards of professionalism with Christ’s example of joyful service. You may have noticed that the first letters of our core values form the acronym LIFTS, which can remind us how we seek to help our clients rise above their circumstances. (I would have preferred to list Faith first as the foundational value, but somehow “FLITS” didn’t seem quite as inspirational.) While we don’t always take ourselves too seriously, we do take our Christian vocation seriously. It is my expectation that everything we do and hope to be comes out of our relationship with and calling from God. It’s a high calling, but one that we are committed to living out. Mark Cunningham, Executive Director Fostering Hope 2
(continued from page one) recalls, “she just came up to me and gave me this hug and said everything was going to be fine.” The Coopers made it their goal not only to foster Zameer, but to foster a supportive relationship with Bianca. During the nine months Zameer was in their home, Matt and Marie regularly texted updates and pictures to Bianca. Marie gave Bianca her phone number and they began daily phone conversations. In addition to interacting at court-appointed visits, Marie and Zameer met Bianca at her workplace to go out for lunch a couple times a week so mother and son could form a stronger bond. The Coopers supported Bianca as she dealt with criminal proceedings against Zameer’s father, whose abuse of Bianca contributed to Zameer’s placement in care. They encouraged her as she got the help she needed with counseling, parenting and life skills, and more. At her own initiative, Bianca participated in extra parenting training through the intensive COBYS Family Nurturing program. When the caseworker felt it was appropriate, the Coopers invited Bianca to begin attending church with them at the Lampeter Church of the Brethren. “It was kind of scary at first,” says Bianca, “because I was the only colored person. But as I entered the door everybody was so open.” Lampeter members Drew and Pam Brubaker became an additional support and provided regular transportation to church. In spring 2011, Bianca was baptized. Bianca, now 27, marvels at how supportive the church has been. Last summer the Coopers and Brubakers organized a youth work day at Bianca’s home. While Marie, Pam, and Bianca enjoyed a night at the movies, a swarm of youth and advisors from the church cleaned and redecorated the house. In September 2011, Zameer returned home, but the relationships that had been formed while he was in care continued. Bianca now considers Matt and Marie to be her parents, and the Coopers have formed a grandparenting relationship with Zameer. They babysit regularly and converse with Bianca by phone or text several times a week. “Marie was like a mother to me from the first time I met her,” Bianca states. “Matt Cooper is my father.” Matt signs his texts to Bianca, “Love Dad,” she says. Acknowledging that her own childhood was full of pain and trials, Bianca explains, “Marie and Matt gave me another life story. When I’m in their home, I feel like I always lived there. I love them Frank, Katie, and their daughter, Aliza, count the Coopers as special friends. as if they were there when I was a baby. I didn’t have a family circle, so they built me one—with God in the middle.” Bianca now is pursuing nursing training. She continues regular visits to the COBYS Permanency Unit in Lancaster to see her special needs son, Janiel, who is being cared for by another family. Reaching Out Again When new foster children Christopher and Aliza arrived in the Coopers’ home in May 2010, Marie and Matt lent the same support to five-year-old Aliza’s parents—Frank and Katie—that they were providing for Bianca. At the time, behavior related to Frank’s alcohol addiction had landed him in prison, and Katie had neglected her four children while using illegal drugs. Losing her children was a wake up call. “I met Katie at court after three days (having her children),” Marie recalls, “and I liked her immediately.” Matt and Marie both admired Katie’s determination to turn her life around. She ceased her drug use and utilized the resources made available to her to remain drug-free, improve parenting skills, and more. The COBYS “3 R’s” program for families struggling with truancy was one resource that she found helpful. During weekly visits, the Coopers and Katie began to build a relationship. When Frank exited prison and entered a rehab program in Lancaster in December 2010, the Coopers reached out to him, as well, but initially Frank was wary. “Emotion came up in Frank the first time he saw Aliza call Matt ‘Daddy,’” says COBYS (continued on page four) Fostering Hope 3
Page 1: Fostering Hope SPRING 2012 VOLUME 2
Page 5 and 6: and Jess Schrodel worked with paren
Page 7 and 8: Plain & Fancy Custom Cabinetry; Joh

Spring 2012 Fostering Hope Newsletter - COBYS Family Services

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?