Caring for Kids and the Family Social Connections Initiative
By Averey Roof, Marketing and Communications Coordinator, Ohio Children’s Alliance
Caring for Kids, a non-profit agency located in Stow, Ohio, has been a steadfast advocate for children and families since 1965. With a mission rooted in compassion, they strive to offer services for all community members impacted by foster care and adoption.
Ashley Berdine, the Director of Foster Care and Behavioral Health at Caring for Kids, explains that their organization maintains a steady goal of building personal connections and being a support system for all families, despite their unique needs: “We have made sure that our staff are working through their [trauma and adoption] competency work in order to really comprehend that interaction where behavioral health, foster care, and adoption meet,” she states. “It’s not just our services, but it is the whole community of individuals surrounding them with the care that they need to be successful in the long term…”
Committed to bringing families together across differences and expanding their impact, Caring for Kids recognized the Family Social Connections Initiative as an opportunity to build on their work and broaden their reach. “We’re willing to put in the blood, sweat, and tears… but we wanted to do more, and we knew we wouldn’t be able to unless we had more funding,” Ashley shared.
Made possible with support from the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services, The Family Social Connections Initiative is designed to help organizations create new ways for community members to connect and grow together. Through this initiative, families are given opportunities to build networks that strengthen their stability for years to come.
With this funding, Caring for Kids launched the Every Step of the Way program, a permanency support program that included three Monthly Movie Clubs and the Caring for Kids Carnival. These unique projects were created with one common goal: To encourage family bonding, co-regulation, and opportunities for children and caregivers to form relationships with their peers.
Since the completion of these projects, Caring for Kids continues to hear positive feedback. Generating excitement amongst the community, Ashley expresses that they have created a sense of belonging for individuals who may have previously felt isolated: “A lot of our families feel like they can’t … participate in community activities because of the differences that they have, so I see that as a need that has been fulfilled by these events where everyone feels welcome.”
With the results of the Every Step of the Way program in mind, it remains clear that when families are given opportunities to come together, they build relationships, resources, and stronger bonds. Ashley reflects, “…When you invest in community connections, you are not just building a community. You are bettering the lives of families, and you are promoting stability for kids.”
The benefits of investing in family social connections ripple outward – creating safer, more engaged, and healthier communities for everyone. By prioritizing community building projects, we plant the seeds for long-term stability, compassion, and shared success that will impact generations to come.
