Hi! My name is Sarah, and I am a single, stay at home foster mom to teenage boys. This adventure has been my greatest joy, and my most exhaustive challenge. In the last few weeks, I have had several calls from workers or other foster parents begging for an open bed for a teenage boy. I've heard stories, upon stories of kids (as young as 10) and teens sleeping in offices waiting for a bed to open up in a shelter or residential setting because there are simply no beds available. Which has led me to my next big adventure (hopefully)!! My goal is to sell my current 3 bedroom home, and flip into a 4 bedroom home in my same community. This would allow me to add 2-3 more beds in my home. I started this process back in October, and keep hitting road blocks. So, I am reaching out to you, asking if you would come along on this adventure and support this vision and desperate need.
The goal is to initially raise $25,000. The funds raised will go towards repairing a vehicle large enough to transport 3-6 teenagers at a time (vehicle is currently in shop waiting for repairs); Do immmediate (and necessary) repairs and updates to the new home to meet licensing standards (Mostly for materials, we will do as much of the work as possible to save labor cost); To finish furnishing the home and making it comfortable and suitable for teenage boys; to purchase needed technology for education and safety purposes in the home.
I am so thankful I can open my home to young men who may need a little extra monitoring and guidance. I'm here to come alongside of them to model and encourage positive change, while working through trauma behaviors and hurts. But my fixed income (and being single, no second income in the home) does not allow me the luxury to take this on all at once. Honestly, it would take me YEARS to financially cover all of the immediate needs. This is why I'm reaching out for help because the need for beds IS immediate.
Our goal and mission is to provide a safe place for these young men to heal their hurts; to grow, find and develop their strengths; give them the experiences they need to fill developmental gaps; to nurture and develop life skills and habits they need for independence; while having fun and making lifelong memories. Thank you so much for helping me in Mending My Tribe.
