Our Mission
First and foremost, foster care is about providing safety for children. One of the ways this can happen is having licensed foster homes in our community in cases when it is not safe for children to remain in their own homes. In cooperation with our local Alabama Department of Human Resources (DHR) office, we assist in foster parent training classes. The 10-week training course is offered twice a year and is part of the licensing requirement to be a foster parent.
We also provide support and resources to our foster families by planning monthly support meetings and assist in providing cribs, clothes or beds when they are receiving new children into their home. This is made possible by private donations.
Children who come into foster care will almost always experience emotional and educational disruption. We offer mentoring, tutoring and other life skill learning opportunities in our Hamilton office. We work to connect with each child individually as well as the foster family that’s walking with them through their journey of healing.
One of our favorite ways to connect our children with the community is through monthly gatherings hosted by various churches in the area where our foster families are fed a meal and then receive support/training while the children play with volunteers. It is important for our children to know there are people cheering them on in their journey.
Practical needs for children in care often take even experienced foster families by surprise. Many children will come into foster care with just the clothes on their backs. Katie’s Closet is a special place at Kids for Life stocked with donations of new toys, toiletries, diapers, bedding, clothing and more. When a child comes into care, we are able to assist in providing whatever that child will need while they are in foster care. We want every child to feel seen, loved and valued.
Each child is also gifted a brand new pair of name-brand shoes, thanks to one of our community partners, CIS - Love for Others.