Gaston County launches new campaign to recruit foster parents

There are currently more than 300 Gaston County children in foster care, and according to the county’s Children and Family Services Special Program Coordinator Misty McDaniel, only 92 of them were able to be placed with families in Gaston County.

In light of the number of children who are placed with foster families in surrounding counties, Gaston County Children and Family Services is working on a campaign to get more local families registered to foster.

“Instead of being here in the county that they know and they love, where they go to daycare, where they go to church, where they have always grown up, they are having to go into different counties sometimes three and four hours away,” McDaniel said. “You can imagine where, if a child has experienced trauma and they come into foster care, and they’re not with their parents, then they lose everything that revolves around their identity, that can be very traumatic for a child that is already experiencing a lot.”

While brainstorming ways to address this issue, the department was inspired by a recently release movie called, “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” which tells the story of a Texas church's efforts to get 77 children adopted out of the foster care system in the area.

The story led Gaston County Children and Family Services to turn toward churches as a potential solution, according to McDaniel.

“It got us thinking. We were looking at the number of churches that we have here in Gaston County. We have over 700 churches in Gaston County,” she said. “So we were thinking, you know, if we could get at least one family from every church, no child would ever have to leave Gaston County again, so we created a campaign, and it’s called #IsThereOne.”

Within 24 hours of debuting the campaign at an event July 20, McDaniel said the department had five families sign up for classes to become registered to foster children, and have had a few others since.

However, there is still a long way to go to meet their goal.

To become a foster family, prospective foster parents must go through a 10-week program where they learn all about the duties of a foster family.

The county is especially looking for foster homes that can take sibling groups, teens and children with special needs, McDaniel said.

Local foster parents Michael and Meghan Begley advise families considering foster children to just jump in.

Michael Begley said more than five years ago, becoming a foster parent was on his wife's heart, so they opened up their home.

They have since fostered dozens of children, adopted three, and are in the process of adopting a fourth child.

After moving to Gaston County from Tennessee several years ago, Meghan Begley said, the couple saw a huge need for foster parents that moved them to foster directly through the county.

She said that at a recent meeting, they were informed that the number of children in need of a foster home in Gaston County is now nearing 400 while only 90 families in the county are licensed to foster, and only half of them can currently accept children.

The Begleys said working with Gaston County DSS to foster children is a supportive environment for foster parents, and those with fostering on their hearts should not shy away.

The pair said they often find that many families think it's too hard or complicated, but when you're looking at a child on your doorstep who just needs love and caring it isn't that difficult to provide those things.

McDaniel said being a foster parent is not right for everyone, and those who aren’t able or interested in fostering can still help by volunteering to be a mentor, sponsoring children on holidays, advocating for foster children in court, tutoring children, and donating toiletries.

Those interested in getting involved either by fostering or volunteering can find more information on the county’s website or by calling 704-862-7530.

“Taking on children with trauma can be stressful yet so rewarding. Any support, emotionally, physically, or financially can make a huge difference in the life of a child,” she said.

This article originally appeared on The Gaston Gazette: Gaston County launches new campaign to recruit foster parents