Our foster parent community groups are currently active in all of our areas! One of Coyote Hill’s values is to offer care for one another. One of the ways we offer care to our foster families is by hosting community groups in Columbia, Hannibal, Jefferson City, and Moberly. These groups create an invaluable community by allowing foster parents to build relationships, learn about resources, and mentor one another.
Our foster parents have shared that our community groups have been comforting because it helps them to know other people going through similar things. They have also reflected the value of having a community to listen to one another.
Each community group is structured differently, but each group provides food and childcare for our foster families. Some groups structure their conversations around topics like insurance, therapists, or other resources, while others give participants the opportunity to share.
One thing that has stood out is the felt safety children have experienced within the foster parent community groups. Consistency has allowed one child to feel safe enough to relax and eat the meal when that was previously impossible.
Other children have enjoyed meeting peers in similar situations and know they are not alone. We love seeing children ask to come back to the community group next month!
One of our foster parents shared, “To try and pick one or two memories from community groups would be impossible. Community group is like getting a big hug and being able to cry tears with others who understand because they have walked or are walking this path too.”
Our community groups would not be possible without consistent volunteers who help create consistency, stability, and predictability for children. Thank you for making this valuable resource possible for our families!
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