FosterAdopt Connect Joplin sees growth in first six months

Sep. 2—Since opening its first location in Joplin six months ago, FosterAdopt Connect has expanded to 11 staff members and is offering several added programs to help kids and families in the region navigate the foster care system.

FosterAdopt Connect is a nonprofit that supports and advocates for abused and neglected foster children and the families caring for them through education, services and programs. The organization has worked to support children and families navigating the child welfare system for more than two decades and has multiple office locations throughout Missouri and Kansas.

The Joplin branch of FosterAdopt Connect was launched March 17 at 1802 W. 32nd St., Suite G. The center offers family advocates, training and prevention services. It also operates a free clothing and food pantry called Sammy's Window to help meet the tangible needs of foster and adoptive families. Items in the closet include new and gently used clothes, hygiene supplies, diapers, wipes, formula and food.

The goal of the organization is to help families navigate the child welfare system to find children a permanent, loving home and to guide families toward better outcomes.

Children without parental care are temporarily placed in foster care due to abuse, neglect or abandonment. Foster families provide a safe and nurturing home while the biological parents receive support services to regain custody of their children.

There are anywhere from 450 to 500 children in foster care every night in Jasper County. In fiscal year 2021, the Missouri Department of Social Services' Children's Division received 54,515 reports of suspected child abuse and neglect, which resulted in contact with families to ensure child safety and to assess the family's needs for services and supports.

FosterAdopt Connect Joplin provides several programs to foster and adopted children and their families throughout seven counties: Jasper, Newton, McDonald, Barton, Cedar, Vernon and Dade.

Children who experience trauma often need help addressing behaviors that threaten the physical safety and emotional well-being of themselves and their families. FosterAdopt Connect's in-home Behavioral Interventionist program provides intensive one-on-one services to children who struggle with behavioral and emotional management.

Tom Furrh, Joplin branch director, said they've started a closet filled with activities, puzzles and games to help stimulate the child's nervous system and allow them to work through their trauma. FosterAdopt Connect Joplin received funding from the Victims of Crime Act to launch the project.

Tracy Gill, behavioral intervention program manager, said the items serve as tools that allow behavioral interventionists to work with children. The ultimate goal with these types of activities is to help children release negative thought patterns through neuroplasticity.

"We have fidgets, slime, kinetic sand and different games," said Gill. "It's about helping the child regulate (emotions, behaviors) through motion and engagement."

Linn Hanshaw serves as the kinship navigator specialist that provides resources and support for grandparents, relatives, and other caregivers looking after a foster child. She has more than 20 years of experience working with the Lafayette House in Joplin.

"I work with family members who are raising someone that isn't their biological child, including grandparents, aunts and uncles," said Hanshaw. "I connect them with resources in the area and help them locate furniture for the kids, sign up for state benefits, and we also provide an emergency assistance fund to help pay for things like utility bills or rent. We provide legal advocacy and try to connect them with an attorney to get guardianship."

Hanshaw said they're launching a monthly support group through their Kinship Navigator program at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 6, in the Joplin Public Library.

Other programs and services include Fostering Prevention, 30 Days to Family, Community Connections Youth Project, Extreme Family Finding, and advocacy.

Fundraisers

FosterAdopt Connect Joplin is hosting its first two fundraisers of the year in September and October. The Road to Home Poker Run fundraiser is set for Saturday at 1802 W. 32nd St., Suite G.

Tickets are $25 per rider and $10 a passenger. Participants can register in person Saturday morning. The poker run will start in Joplin and end in Neosho. Biscuits and gravy will be served at 9 a.m. at the center's 32nd St. location. Bikes will begin departing at 10 a.m. and the trip will wrap up at 4:45 p.m. at Indian Springs Brewing Co. in Neosho. Awards will be presented at 5 p.m.

Danielle Harris, development coordinator, said they're aiming to raise $500 from the poker run.

"We're taking riders through our service counties, so we're starting here in the morning, and they're riding up through Lamar, all of the way to Stockton and they'll loop back through," she said. "They'll be able to draw a card at every stop and by the end, they'll have a full hand of five cards. The top three cards will pay out, and we'll even pay out the lowest hand."

The second fundraiser will kick off in late October. The Road to Home Gala will be held from 6 to 10 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 29, at the I Do Event and Wedding Center at 7300 E. 20th St. in Joplin. The theme is Halloween masquerade. There will be dinner, dessert, a cocktail hour, a silent auction, and raffles.

Sponsorship opportunities for the gala are available. Tickets are $75 and are available for purchase. The event will be capped at 120 tickets.

"We'll have dueling pianos there for entertainment, and the food will be catered by Mythos," said Harris. "Joplin is a great community to do a fun event like this."

For more information about these events, contact Danielle Harris at danielle.harris@foster adopt.org