Six years ago today, All For Family Non-Profit was born. All For Family was formed following a dream and a vision of what could be. It was formed from a passion to improve the foster care system one supervised family visit at a time.
I will forever remember an initial planning meeting I held with Darrell Missey, Jon and Elissa Shirrell, David Crosby, and Daniel Denbow. They all seemed very excited by the vision I had, and were encouraging as they sensed that I had the drive to see it through. Darrell Missey and Daniel Denbow believed in my idea so strongly that they both became founding board members, if only for a short while, to help All For Family get off the ground.
I will also never forget a discouraging meeting I had shortly thereafter with Jefferson County Children's Division who did not believe the idea I was proposing - recruiting volunteers from the community to supervise visits - would ever work, and others I spoke to along the way who thought we might last a year or two, and then would have to close our doors.
Now here we are, six years later, still accomplishing what we were told couldn't be done. We have lost some amazing team members and volunteers along the way. There are some we have lost who have been battling some very serious health challenges, and I hope they know how very much they mean to us. We haven't forgotten them, and our sincerest prayers are with them.
I am forever grateful for amazing board members, staff, therapists, and our outstanding volunteers. Without them, All For Family would not be where it is today. We also would not be where are today without the blessings we have received over the years from grants, donations, and our sponsors. We are immensely appreciative of everyone who has supported All For Family along the way.
It is not a perfect system; working with broken families rarely is. We have, regretfully, had to turn some families away due to not having the right resources for what we felt was appropriate for them. We are constantly reflecting on what is working, and what needs to change. Still, we have also worked with several success stories for families who were reunited, fathers who were able to receive joint custody of their children, and families who progressed to enough unsupervised time to no longer need our services. We are changing lives, and making a difference, one family at a time.
Even still, my heart is troubled. With having lost so many active volunteers over the last couple of years due to a variety of health reasons, families are now having to wait on waiting list longer than ever before. So, if you are reading this and want to support our cause, we are in desperate need of more active volunteer visit supervisors. Can you spare two to four hours a week, or even two to four hours a month to sit with a mom and/or dad as they play with their children? As the saying goes, no one person can help everyone, but we have the power to help one family at a time. We hope you will join us on our mission.
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