Keystone Family Alliance receives grant to support work
MILLHEIM ― Keystone Family Alliance has received a $7,500 grant from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies to advance its mission of engaging local churches and community members in caring for vulnerable children involved in the child welfare system.
Keystone Family Alliance is the recipient of a fall 2023 grant from the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies that will assist Keystone Family Alliance in increasing awareness and engagement of churches and community members in Indiana and Somerset counties to provide more stable, well-supported homes for vulnerable children involved in the child welfare system in these counties.
"Funds from the grant that are applied to Somerset County will also be applied to training more volunteers to be Care Community volunteers that support foster and adoptive families," said Lydia Shaffer, Somerset and Cambria County coordinator for Keystone Family Alliance. "It costs approximately $500 to launch care communities at a new church and approximately $250 to launch independent care communities between recruitment, training, database fees, time spent, and many other factors."
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Through strategic and responsive grantmaking, CFA supports programs and organizations that create long-term solutions to the most pressing needs in the community.
"Our Distribution Committee is pleased to award this funding on behalf of our donors," said Angie Berzonski, Community Foundation for the Alleghenies' associate director. "We are hopeful that it will have a big impact not only on children in the foster care system, but also on the foster families who will be able to receive much-needed support and training. Keystone Family Alliance is a new grantee for us and we appreciate the opportunity to get to know their work a little better."
Program educates on foster care
The mission of Keystone Family Alliance is to educate, motivate and equip every Christian in the state of Pennsylvania on the needs of orphans and vulnerable children, both locally and globally. Of the nearly 14,000 children currently in foster care in Pennsylvania, 307 of these children are from Indiana and Somerset counties. Both counties have a shortage of foster homes, especially for older youth and sibling groups.
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Keystone Family Alliance strives to not only recruit new foster families, but to support them through Care Communities, small support groups that provide meals, transportation, childcare, and help with household tasks. There are two active care communities in Indiana County and four in Somerset County, intending to support additional families in 2024.
Keystone Family Alliance also meets tangible needs of biological, kinship and foster families through the Gateway online portal. Gateway allows social workers to share tangible needs of vulnerable children and families, while maintaining confidentiality, so local volunteers can help meet those needs. More than 45 local needs have been met in Indiana County and 36 in Somerset County.
Keystone Family Alliance also supports children and families by providing trauma-informed training for parents and caregivers, and helping professionals who care for children who have experienced trauma. The grant provided by the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies will support these efforts in Indiana and Somerset counties.
“Keystone Family Alliance is not a foster or adoption agency. Rather, we are a bridge organization that connects the local church to the needs of local children, families, and agencies. We connect people to practical ways they can serve orphans and vulnerable children,” says Vince Smith, executive director. “Whether you are a church, organization, or someone who wants to help, we believe that everyone can do something.”
More: Somerset County in desperate need for foster parents
Keystone Family Alliance is serving in Indiana, Somerset, Clarion, Blair, and Erie counties in the western Pennsylvania region and recently launched in Cambria, Armstrong and Clearfield counties since receiving the fall 2023 grant. In total, Keystone Family Alliance is active in 17 counties across the state with plans to continue to serve additional counties in 2024 and beyond.
The Community Foundation for the Alleghenies exists to improve the quality of life for residents in Bedford, Cambria, Somerset, and Indiana counties by connecting local nonprofit initiatives with resources created by donors.
Upcoming KFA event
"Our upcoming Fundraiser & Awareness Event would be the most upcoming opportunity to engage churches and community members and bring awareness," Shaffer said. "At that event, we clearly present the mission and vision of Keystone Family Alliance and encourage the community with stories of success and support that current families are receiving."
The Somerset event will be held at Bakersville Banquet hall at 6 p.m. Feb. 27. There is no cost to attend, however a financial appeal will be made to support the work of KFA. Guests can register for the event at https://www.keyfam.org/events.
For more information on Keystone Family Alliance and how to get involved in Somerset County, visit www.keyfam.org or contact Shaffer, lydia@keyfam.org for Somerset and Cambria counties. To learn more about the work of the Community Foundation for the Alleghenies, visit https://www.cfalleghenies.org/.
This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Keystone Family Alliance receives grant to support work
