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March 22, 20240
Brick & Elm

ARROW OF HOPE

There are over 22,000 churches in the state of Texas,” says Sydia Aguilar of Arrow Child & Family Ministries, a Texas foster care organization. “If one family from every church opened their home [to a foster child], we wouldn’t be in crisis.”

Aguilar is Arrow’s local foster care recruiter. The crisis she speaks of continues to develop. In Texas, the foster care system is currently responsible for more than 15,000 children. Some have been removed from environments of abuse or neglect. Others enter the system after parental incarceration or abandonment. All need a safe, temporary foster home.

Read more at: CLICK HERE!



March 22, 20240
SEE THE LIST

PORT ARTHUR LNG AWARDS $100K TO NONPROFITS THROUGH SEASON OF GIVING

Sempra Infrastructure today announced that Port Arthur LNG has awarded $100,000 in community grant funding through its Season of Giving Initiative. The initiative, a partnership with Port Arthur Newsmedia and Bechtel, distributes the funds to 41 nonprofit and community-based organizations in Greater Port Arthur. This infusion of funds helps organizations continue providing crucial support to vulnerable families during the holiday season.

Read more at: CLICK HERE!



March 30, 20230
FOSTER CARE SYSTEM IN 23

EAST TEXAS COUNTIES SOON TO BE RUN BY PRIVATE ENTITY

TYLER, Texas (KLTV) – One of the biggest changes to the foster care system in East Texas is underway: privatization.

“This transition does create challenges, and there’s lots of need in our community,” said Smith County 321st District Court Judge Robert Wilson during the 4Kids4Families kickoff event at South Spring Baptist Church in Tyler.

Wilson has a deep understanding of the state of foster care. For years, he’s seen many East Texas families on their best and worst days in court. He also doesn’t shy away from the painstaking reality of what it’s like to be in Texas state care in 2023.

“We’ve had as many as 130 kids statewide without placement,” said Wilson. “That means that we have kids sleeping on the floors of CPS offices, in hotel rooms, or in rented spaces … or on gym floors. It’s not any easy solution to fix, but it’s not an acceptable solution at all.”

Read more at: CLICK HERE!



October 26, 20220

ARROW ENJOYS HOUSTON ASTROS 2022 GAME 1!


Mattress Mack and Gallery Furniture kindly invited Arrow Child & Family Ministries to enjoy Game 1 of the ALDS as the Houston Astros faced off against the Seattle Mariners. Mattress Mack, Gallery Furniture and the entire McIngvale family have been longtime supporters of Arrow and the children and families we serve.

Arrow had a ton of fun cheering on the Astros! We made signs, showed off our Houston and Arrow pride, and enjoyed the postseason activities at the ballpark.



We had many kids joining the Arrow group, including many who had never been to a ballgame before. They got to enjoy ice cream, Cracker Jacks, and singing along to “Take Me Out to the Ballgame!” And they even received a “First Baseball Game” certificate from the staff at Minute Maid!



The Astros were losing to the Mariners for the entire game, until a historic walk-off three-run homerun by Yordan Alvarez. The Astros were down 5-7 in the bottom of the ninth inning, and there were two outs. The game was down to the final two strikes when Alvarez hit his incredible homerun.  It reminded us that no matter how bleak a situation looks, there is always hope!


Arrow is grateful to Mattress Mack for allowing us to cheer on the Astros and enjoy this wonderful afternoon! More importantly, we are grateful for the years of incredible support that Mack and the Gallery Furniture team have provided Arrow Child & Family Ministries. They have played a huge role in allowing us to pursue our mission: Helping Kids & Strengthening Families. #TogetherKidsWin



WATCH THE GAME HIGHLIGHTS!



January 11, 20220

ARROW CONTINUES TO LEAD THE WAY IN TEXAS FOSTER CARE!


Arrow Child & Family Ministries CEO, Scott Lundy, was interviewed by KXAN in Austin this week about the current foster care crisis in Texas. He spoke about Arrow’s innovative Treatment Foster Care program, which gives families intensive trauma-informed training and provides them with the additional supports of a behavioral health specialist and a caseworker specially focused on TFC families.


Texas is in the middle of a foster care crisis, with hundreds of kids sleeping in offices because placements cannot be found for them. As Scott says, “there’s not a Texan out there that wants that to happen.”

A group of experts working to address this crisis agreed Treatment Foster Care programs, like the one Arrow created, are the best model to get children out of offices and into homes and families.



WATCH THE FULL STORY ON KXAN!

FOSTER CARE CRISIS TEXAS – KXAN – Scott Lundy

Click Here to watch the full story! Learn more about the foster care crisis in Texas.



Would you like to get involved?

JOIN OUR INFORMATION WEBINARS TO LEARN MORE!

Each month, there are several interactive, live streaming webinars to learn more about foster care and what it takes to become a foster parent. In each webinar, you’ll get an overview of all of Arrow’s foster care programs. And because the webinars are interactive, you can have all your questions answered. Click below to Register!




November 15, 20210

Children of all ages come into the foster care system, but the children who wait for adoption the longest are:

  • Children from minority racial groups
  • Children over 10 years old
  • Children in sibling groups
  • Children with physical or emotional disabilities

Arrow is committed to finding these children permanent, loving homes. It can seem frightening to consider adopting an older or disabled child, or a sibling group of three or more. These children require a high level of commitment, patience, and understanding – but many of these children will thrive in a loving home. They have the scars of past abuse and neglect, and sometimes the trauma of multiple foster care moves, but once they become part of a “forever family,” they can begin to heal and blossom into the children and young adults God meant for them to become. Please contact your local office and let them know of your interest to adopt these special kids.



The Vaughn Family finalized the adoption of Dominic Wyatt Vaughn on 10/22/21 after many years in care and over 6 months in their home. We are so excited for them and want to celebrate their wonderful news! Dominic is pictured in the middle in the black shirt and jeans. He was so excited to see himself on the Adoption Zoom that he accidentally muted Mrs. Vaughn answering a question for the Judge.


LEARN MORE ABOUT BEING A FOSTER PARENT

ATTEND AN INFORMATIONAL MEETING

Each month, there are several interactive, live streaming webinars to learn more about foster care and what it takes to become a foster parent. In each webinar, you’ll get an overview of all of Arrow’s foster care programs. And because the webinars are interactive, you can have all your questions answered.


VIEW UPCOMING INFORMATION SESSIONS

The McCarty Family finalized the adoption for Josie Leigh McCarty on 10/26/21 after close to two years of having her placed in their home. The McCarty’s extended family was in attendance as well as their coworkers were able to watch via Zoom. Josie is pictured on the right.



The Williams Family finalized the adoption for siblings, Willow and Hunter on 11/01/221! Willow the young lady on the left has been in the Williams home three years, and her younger brother Hunter, the young man on the left has been here since birth, last week was his 2nd birthday. The family was so excited and nothing could stop them from celebrating. Willow and Hunter were both so very happy to celebrate with friends and family and to be in their forever home.



October 15, 20210

FOCUSING ON HELPING KIDS AND STRENGTHENING FAMILIES!


“It’s a beautiful thing being able to see youth come from a hard environment, a hard place, having struggles and being able to blossom into who they desire to be.” Dayna Hinton, Arrow Family Home Developer.


We had a blast at the 2021 Essex Day Festival and made some new friends! We got to speak to some awesome families, teach people about the importance of fostering, and give away some fun Arrow swag. We’d like to thank everyone who stopped by, including Captain Dee Fense!!

Dayna Hinton was interviewed by WMAR 2 NEWS, check out the full story, and video below!


Foster Care in Maryland, Watch the full video on WMAR 2 News


“The older ones are looked over and they need that level of support too and if anything that impact can be even greater bc at some point they’re going into society,”

Dayna Hinton, Arrow Family Home Developer.




September 29, 20210

TOWSON, MD (September 21, 2021) – The Arrow Center for Education Tangram is excited to share that due to its building expansion they are ready to serve more students, now from kindergarten to age 21. Tangram is a nonpublic, special education school that serves students with intensive autism needs and supports them in reaching their full potential. The school provides a full-day special education and related services with a strong emphasis on vocational skills development. The newly expanded space will continue to access the Orokawa Outdoor Learning Center but have its own sensory room, support areas, and therapy offices to support the new classrooms.



Along with Tangram’s expansion, Arrow is excited to also announce Tangram’s Principal, David Schlitter, M, Ed. David comes to Arrow Center for Education with a vast experience in special education in a variety of settings, specializing in education of students with autism.



Tangram’s expansion allows the Transition and Vocational Department to grow and further serve the needs of our students. Tangram’s Director of Transition, Amanda Johnson, stated, “The goal of Tangram’s expanded program is to help all of our students reach the highest level of independence that they can obtain. With that in mind, we hope to arm our students with the skills and strategies to be eligible for jobsites, day programs, and as many services as the adult world is able to offer.”
Tangram’s partnerships with the community, businesses, and those who have a heart to help people with autism excel continue to pour into the successful program demonstrated year after year at Tangram. David Schlitter, Principal shares, “A big challenge for our students and their families occurs after the students leave our school. Until the age of 21, our students are entitled to special education services at our school. After they graduate, they are eligible for programs that work with young adults with Autism. We want to make sure they are eligible for as many of those programs as possible. That is why we are expanding our program. We want to help students prepare for what comes after they leave our school.”
Arrow’s creative and innovative solutions provide unique opportunities for the children served. The success is seen in exceeding state and national averages in all aspects measured for health and human services and educational outputs. Children are better with the efforts focused on helping kids and strengthening families. #TogetherKidsWin!

About Arrow Child & Family Ministries (www.arrow.org):
Arrow is the preferred Christian provider of child welfare and educational services connecting church and government to serve vulnerable children and families. Since beginning in 1992 with foster care, new services and programs have continued to develop and expand as we fulfill our mission of helping kids and strengthening families.

About The Arrow Center for Education Schools:
The Arrow Center for Education Schools in Maryland provide special educational opportunities for children who need an alternative to traditional public education. Our primary goal for all our educational programs is to create an atmosphere where each student can reach their full potential academically, emotionally, and behaviorally. We meet every child as a student, academically, socially, and functionally; we make change through defined best practices and invaluable relationships. All our efforts focus on assisting the children we serve to realize their best potential by removing barriers, creating opportunities, building skills, and nourishing their individual gifts.