Today’s conversation made me a little emotional because I never could have imagined what God would do with this ministry when I launched it over a decade ago. I could have never imagined that we would have leaders across the nation who are stepping in and supporting their local foster care community! These Advocates act as a bridge, bringing encouragement and support to agencies by helping churches understand the best way to engage and meet needs contextually. Today, I get the honor of introducing you to a couple of incredible people who are also team members here at ..read more

The Forgotten Initiative exists to help churches support foster care agencies across America. We are passionate about helping churches develop compassion and understanding for the foster care community and providing gospel-centered encouragement as they step in to meet the physical, relational, and spiritual needs of those in foster care. Together, we can help the foster care community feel seen and supported. During the month of May, many people have foster care on their minds because of National Foster Care Awareness Month. But what happens to that interest after May? That spark needs to ..read more

Key Question: At the heart of biblical justice and compassion is the vision of a community where all our relationships–with God, others, self, and the rest of creation–are well-organized and ordered as God designed them to be. How should this reality inform the action we take to care for others? We’re back with Episode 2 of Just Neighbors, a podcast for every believer who has been transformed by the Gospel and desires to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God and their neighbors in need. Join hosts Jami Kaeb and Ryan MacDonald as they talk with leaders, pasto ..read more

Can you remember the child, family, or experience that inspired you to come alongside the foster care community? It’s likely you were inspired because you heard their story or got to see their action firsthand. With an understanding of the power of story and a passion for children who are waiting for their forever families, Kaycee Stanley and her husband, Pete, launched The Reel Hope Project. The Reel Hope Project tells the stories of children awaiting an adoptive family using videos as a recruitment resource for prospective adoptive families. Their goal is to see an ..read more

Key Question: Justice is God’s idea, not ours. How can we join God in His work that has been underway since the beginning of time? Welcome to the very first episode of Just Neighbors! This is a podcast for every believer who has been transformed by the Gospel and desires to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God and their neighbors in need. Join hosts Jami Kaeb and Ryan MacDonald as they talk with leaders, pastors, and practitioners about how to live a life of biblical justice and compassion. We have a special guest for this episode of the podcast to help cha ..read more

You will often hear us say, “You don’t have to foster to care.” One of the most important aspects of foster parenting (without burning out) is having a supportive community of people around you. I have the honor today of talking with someone in this critical support role. Maddie Box  is 26 years old and works as a pediatric speech-language pathologist, and she has organically found herself in the role of a support person to multiple foster parents. In this episode, you’ll hear how this role is far more critical than many people realize, some of the simple ways fo ..read more

Our newest podcast “Just Neighbors” is launching May 15th! Just Neighbors is a podcast for every believer who has been transformed by the Gospel and desires to act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with God and their neighbors in need. Join hosts Jami Kaeb and Ryan MacDonald as they talk with leaders, pastors, and practitioners about how to live a life of biblical justice and compassion. In our trailer, we’re walking through our vision for the podcast along with what you can expect. Be sure to hit the “Follow” or “Subscribe” button so you walk this journey along with ..read more

I want to share a story that went out to our donors in a partnership email recently. The story was too good to keep it to ourselves. It’s a story about something seemingly ordinary and simple: bath towels. But when you look a little deeper, it conveys so much more. A simple act from one of our TFI Advocates led to agency workers feeling seen, supported, and loved by Jesus. This is what the work we do is all about! Check out this video for the full story: It Began With a Need Being Noticed On this particular day, our TFI Advocate noticed that this agency had a shower that children could us ..read more

Decisions made in court hold a lot of weight for the futures of children and families. Due to the impact that decision could potentially have, the role Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) was introduced to ensure all information was being considered. The role of a CASA before began in 1977. Today, 939 state CASA/GAL organizations operate in 49 states, which serve 242,000 children annually. Travis and Stephanie Johnson are two of the dedicated volunteers who serve the foster care community in their role as CASAs. In this episode, you’ll hear more about what it mea ..read more

Nobody starts working in the foster care system because they think it’s going to be easy. The truth is, despite how deeply fulfilling a career in this field can be—it can also feel stressful and discouraging at times. For both new and experienced workers, it’s easy to feel defeated and wonder if the work you’re doing is enough.  If there’s anyone who can help us understand this better, it’s Carmen Nance—a woman with 30 years of experience serving the foster care community as part of the State of Georgia/Cobb County Department of Family and Children Services. In t ..read more