DEDICATED EMPLOYEES
COUNTIES SERVED IN KS AND MO
LIVES POSITIVELY IMPACTED
PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT AND STRENGTHEN FAMILIES
Lori Ross
Founder and CEO
A Letter From The CEO
Trauma is contagious. When a child is removed from their home, they experience it. Their parents likely experienced a great deal of it themselves well before they had children. And, unless there is intervention and healing, the trauma will continue into the next generation. But, there is hope!
We have the pleasure of working with amazing parents who decide to open their homes and hearts to children who need loving families. They are not perfect, but they don’t have to be. And whether it is for a short amount of time through fostering or a lifetime through adoption, they embrace and come alongside these kids on their path to restoration. Pain can be healed, families can be reunited, and generational trauma can be broken. And you can be a part of it.
Your financial generosity empowers us to provide a wide range of services that support kids, their biological families, and foster/adoptive parents. Through prevention, intervention, education, and community building, we all have a part to play in bringing hope to kids who need it. Let’s take a look at what you helped us accomplish last year.
Spotlight On Programs
FosterAdopt Connect has been working with children and families for more than 20 years. 2022 has been another year of growth, success, and helping those in need. This report shows the effectiveness of our programs, not just through numbers, but through outcomes, testimonials, and success stories. Children and families interacting with the child welfare system deserve support and guidance. We will continue to assist wherever needed and are always looking to find new and innovative ways to give back to our most vulnerable populations.
Adopt Kansas Kids
We believe every child deserves a loving, caring home and a family they can call their own. At Adopt Kansas Kids we help children find a place where they belong and people who will always be there for them. Click here to learn more.
Adoptions finalized in 2022
New families registered
K-PARC and Kansas Caregivers Support Network
The Kansas Post Adoption Resource Center (K-PARC) is dedicated to strengthening kinship and adoptive families in Kansas. We’re a group of families just like yours, working together to connect parents to great services and professionals that are doing great work. Click to learn more about K-PARC or click here to learn more about KCSN.
Families served
Individual training participants
30 Days to Family
30 Days to Family is an intense, short-term intervention designed to increase the number of children placed with family or friends within the first 30 days of entering foster care in order to maintain relationships with family. Click here to learn more
%
KC Metro
%
South Missouri
PERCENTAGE OF CHILDREN REPORTED TO HAVE IMPROVED FAMILY RELATIONSHIPS
“Thank you so much for helping me get my grandbabies in the home with me, I appreciate your help so much. Thank you!”
SUCCESS STORIES
Advocacy
FosterAdopt Connect’s Advocacy Program helps families navigate the complex child welfare system. Our advocates all have personal experience with the foster care system and adoption, and can assist with almost everything a family might need help with. Click here to learn more
KC Metro
South Missouri
North Missouri
NUMBER OF PARENTS SERVED
Behavioral Interventionist
FosterAdopt Connect’s in-home Behavioral Interventionist (BI) program provides intensive one-on-one services to children who struggle with behavioral and emotional management. Click here to learn more
%
Percentage of children avoided placement changes due to behavioral concerns
”Thank you so much for all you are doing to help support T. We appreciate everything you’ve set in motion to get the support she needs. I wish every kid could have a therapist like you. You have a gift.”
Clinical Services
Our Clinical Services program consists of an interdisciplinary team of qualified, licensed clinicians, all dedicated to promoting youth and family wellness and success. Click here to learn more
Clients served in the KC Metro
Clients served in South Missouri
Community Connections Youth Project
FosterAdopt Connect’s Community Connections Youth Project (CCYP) helps youth currently or formerly in foster care ages 17-26 navigate the struggles of approaching adulthood without a solid support system. Click here to learn more
Youth obtained part-time or full-time employment
Youth received financial education on a monthly basis
“My specialist is the best thing to happen to me. Even though this is her job, I feel that she has gone above and beyond for me. I am very thankful that she keeps open communication and genuinely gives great advice. She makes me feel heard and has great insight on a lot of things I am currently working on.”
“Thank you so much again for pushing for this to happen! I’m not sure it ever would have happened without you.”
Extreme Family Finding
Extreme Family Finding puts a team of recruiters and private investigators to work finding multiple extended family members and kin relationships for children most at risk of aging out of foster care without an adoptive resource. Click here to learn more
%
Percentage of children matched for adoption in the KC Metro
%
Percentage of children matched for adoption in South Missouri
Compared to similarly-situated children who had an adoption rate of 22.5%
Source: Dave Thomas Foundation
Fostering Prevention
In times of significant hardship, family support in crucial areas can prevent children from entering foster care while providing them stability and safety. FosterAdopt Connect is a resource for families at risk of losing custody of their children. Click here to learn more
%
Percentage of children safely prevented from entering foster care by helping their parents overcome challenges
SUCCESS STORIES
SUCCESS STORIES
Kinship Navigator
FosterAdopt Connect provides kinship support for grandparents, relatives, and other caregivers who are providing the children they love with a nurturing and loving home. Click here to learn more
%
Percentage of children who maintain placement stability in the KC Metro
%
Percentage of children who maintain placement stability in South Missouri
Legal Advocacy
FosterAdopt Connect’s Legal Advocacy team connects youth currently or formerly in foster care with attorney representation to aid with resolving minor legal issues. Click here to learn more
Individuals served
Legal cases resolved
‘“I want to say that you are the best lawyer that I have ever had or experienced. Your work ethic is beyond great and I cannot appreciate it enough. You’ve helped me with so much that I don’t think there is enough ‘thank you’ I can say that will ever be enough.”
Licensing
Why become a foster parent? Every child deserves to be safe, loved, and healthy, and the best place to heal from abuse or neglect is in the care of a loving family. Click here to learn more
Number of households licensed in the KC Metro
Number of households licensed in South Missouri
Training
Our Training team equips foster parents and caregivers with tools to call upon during a variety of parenting situations. From learning how to manage medications, care for hair, or respond in a health or behavioral crisis, this training increases your ability to provide stable love to a child in their care. Click here to learn more
%
Percentage of households who completed training to become foster parents in the KC Metro
%
Percentage of households who completed training to become foster parents in South Missouri
Sammy’s Window
Sammy’s Window provides a wide variety of free items to lift the tangible burden of caring for youth who are in foster care, have been adopted, or who are at risk of coming into care. Through the ongoing help of community donations, FosterAdopt Connect stocks items for all stages of child development. Click here to learn more
Number of individuals served in the KC Metro
Number of individuals served in South Missouri
Number of individuals served in North Missouri
YouthConnect Center
The YouthConnect Center (YCC) is a drop-in center for school-aged youth 13-18 years old. The YCC aims to eliminate any obstacles that youth face in accessing different community resources. We partner with other service organizations in the community and provide a safe space for them to meet with youth and their families. Click here to learn more
Number of youth served
Number of emergency services administered (showers, laundry, food, shelter, clothing, bus passes).
Youth served during October, November, and December of 2022
MERGERS
FosterAdopt Connect had the opportunity to merge with two great organizations in 2022. Hope For One More located in Cape Girardeau, MO, and YOUTHRIVE in Kansas.
THE FUTURE
This has been a year of expansion for FosterAdopt Connect, and that will only continue.
New branches have opened in Cape Girardeau and Mountain Grove in Missouri in the last year alone, with more on the horizon.
KCK Capital Campaign
Big things are in the works for our Kansas branch as well. Our renovations to the historic Kansan newspaper building will create space for resources to support youth aging out of foster care through our Community Connections Youth Project (CCYP), vocational job training, and a 15-bed emergency drop-in shelter for youth ages 17-23. Additional focus areas will be support for LGBTQ+ youth and specialized programs related to acute behavioral and mental health needs. Our caring and highly-trained team of advocates will research and identify additional community resources for the youth and families we serve.
To learn more about our newest campaign, click below.
