Return to flip book view

You re Helping Children Thrive This Summer reACH summer 2021 issue

Our Mission PROTECTING CHILDREN PRESERVING FAMILIES SINCE 1915 Dear Friend You help give a child a home Could we continue on with foster care and adoption without your support To a degree yes We receive state funding but it s only enough to meet minimum standards if that We believe children who enter the foster system because a court determined it is unsafe for them to live with their parents deserve better ACH helps children from infancy to age 17 find caring foster parents to help them heal from their trauma Our team not only seeks willing families but performs a comprehensive background check and home visit Once qualified we provide in depth training and home study before licensure It s a process that our foster families praise for its thoroughness and honesty Fortunately your donations allow us to go the extra mile in ensuring a successful foster placement Our Foster Care Specialists remain a phone call away for consultations home visits and assessments Then if reunification with the biological parents isn t possible our team finds adoptive families who are the right match for our children page 2 more e r a e n Ther children i 0 0 0 0 need 1 n i n a y t i th m un m o c r are c ou r e t of fos Again we train caring responsible parents on the child s or children s needs before becoming family forever It s estimated that at any given time there are more than 10 000 children in the North Texas area in need of foster care Your continued support means we can give a child a sibling group or a child with special needs the nurturing home they need to lead a healthy happy life And for that we all remain eternally grateful Sincerely Wayne Carson Ph D Chief Executive Officer YOU GIVE CHILDREN AND FAMILIES Support Board of Directors Anna Alvarado Toby Ardoyno Angela Caddell Linda Christie Katie Ciccarino Delynn Crofford Tom Harris Tim Harvard Kelly Keller Chair Barry Kromann Treasurer Cheryl Moore Lynn Newman Mattie Parker Alan Shipman Dowell Stackpole Kyle Whitaker Secretary I want them to know where they come from and own their story That s one of the hopes that Yesenia and her husband Brian have for their adopted children and it s something The classes taught us so much Yesenia they re confident will happen because recalls They would tell us Here are the of your support all the scenarios that can will be thrown at you and armed us with education The couple are the proud parents of two biological children Tori 26 and Soon enough the education was put Noah 13 and two adopted children to use Eli s first year with the family Eli 6 and Neko 4 Yesenia recalls that was difficult she says but the help they the idea of adoption began with received from ACH helped both Eli and a suggestion from her them as his foster parents to adjust and daughter Tori begin to bond Though Yesenia and Brian hadn t considered fostering to adopt a Google search led them to ACH s website and Foundation Board Members Frank Anderson Linda Christie Bob Ferguson Melinda Johnston Janeen Lamkin Fred Moore Chair Peter Philpott Community Ambassador Advisory Council Margaret Augustat Karen Barlow Alysa Dennett Lindy Eubank Missy Johns Cindy Level Suzanne Tucker a further encounter with ACH at their church solidified their decision They put in an application and began classes to become foster parents Foster and adoptive parents like Yesenia and Brian and children like Eli and Neko can only receive this level of support because you choose to give Thank you for building up families and creating safe loving environments for children in need Inspired by Children SHERRIE GIVES BACK Someone invited me to join the ACH Women s Auxiliary something I could do with my kids recalls Sherrie Cyrier a longtime ACH volunteer Sherrie is grateful she could not only bring her two young daughters along when she volunteered with ACH but also share with them the value of helping other people Sherrie held numerous positions while in the Women s Auxiliary including president one year But the highlight of her experience came from spending time with ACH children and youth Each month the Auxiliary arranged for a special activity for children and youth in residence at ACH including skating swimming and holiday themed parties I have always felt really proud to be a part of ACH For almost 21 years I have signed up to have a swim party for the kids Sherrie says I still host the pool party I stand in line at 3 a m in the cold to rent the pool for the kids Looking back Sherrie says the experience has been great for her her family and for ACH and the children and families served there I have always felt really proud of volunteering with ACH Sherrie says I believe they are doing incredible work Thank you Sherrie for being such a vital part of our work and making way for a brighter future for so many children youth and families ACH CEO Wayne Carson Ph D with Sherrie Cyrier

Thank you for changing lives in our community YOU PROVIDE Safety and Support Gifts of Stock You can t put a price on safety Amanda recalls the night when she and her son finally felt safe again after surviving domestic violence They re grateful for your generosity that gave them respite and a way forward at a critical time of need Amanda says after looking back on her marriage of 18 years the warning signs of domestic violence were always there but it wasn t until 15 years into their marriage that she noticed significant changes in her husband She and her husband agreed then to separate so Amanda and their son moved into a separate home A year of relative quiet passed before he began showing up again regularly Now taking methamphetamines he began physically abusing Amanda I really honestly thought that if our son didn t know if he didn t see any of it or hear any of it I really believed that it would be ok and I could handle it Amanda says But when her son saw his father hitting his mom one night he tried to stop his father and ended up badly injured himself It was at the hospital with her son that Amanda learned about SafeHaven which led them to ACH Mom I know it s not home but we re safe here Amanda recalls her son saying the first night they stayed with ACH Amanda and her son participated in ACH s Families Together Program which assists mothers and their children affected by domestic violence The program offers a safe and stable living environment while they work to overcome their trauma and return to independent living Many of our supporters like to donate stock to ACH rather than or in addition to cash Giving appreciated stock that you have held for at least a year may allow you to give more than you could with cash while also eliminating capital gains tax Plus given recent changes in the rules for itemized charitable deductions giving non cash assets like stock may reduce your taxes by giving you total deductions that exceed your new increased standard deduction amount Please consider having a conversation with your financial advisor about whether a gift of appreciated assets is right for you To make a gift of stock please call Dixie Mullins at 817 886 7115 Note This material has been prepared for informational purposes only and is not intended to provide and should not be relied on for tax legal or accounting advice Thank you for helping provide safety and a way forward for women and children like Amanda and her son You re providing a path to a brighter future for countless neighbors in need ACHchildandfamily ACHchildfamily achchildandfamily ACHservices org