Homes Needed for Children

Sadly, too many children are waiting for a safe and loving home because there aren’t enough trained foster parents in Nebraska.

Kids come into foster care for a variety of reasons. Ultimately, CEDARS’ goal is to either safely reunite children with their families or find a permanent home for them. Until these goals can be achieved, foster families give kids stability and room to grow as individuals.

With offices in Lincoln and Bellevue, the Nebraska-based CEDARS has been serving children and families for over 70 years. The CEDARS Foster Care team works every day to ensure that over 250 foster children and youth flourish in loving families. Because foster parents are an integral part of the CEDARS professional team, they are equipped with exceptional training, have access to support 24/7, monthly support groups and quarterly gatherings for foster families.

“These kids really just want someone who’s going to open their home to them, get to know a little bit about them, and give them love,” says a CEDARS Foster Care representative. “Foster care is the situation that these kids are in, but it doesn’t define who they are. They have the same excitement, hope and pride that other children have.”

CEDARS staff walk alongside children and families every step of the way. With encouragement, guidance and direction, the team has the honor of watching lives change.

“I hear it so often from foster parents,” says the representative, “that fostering is the best thing that happened to them.”

It is important to know that there is no typical CEDARS foster family. CEDARS foster families include parents with children at home, single adults, couples hoping to adopt and empty nesters. To help, all you need is a stable home, an open heart and a willingness to reach out to a child in need.

Volunteers are crucial, as well. Volunteers will discover a rich sense of fulfillment from sharing their talents at CEDARS. In every branch of the organization, volunteers improve the lives of the vulnerable children and families they serve. While needs vary from time to time, CEDARS will make every effort to match your skills, abilities, and interests to the needs of the organization at their various locations.

If you have ever considered fostering or volunteering and would like more information, please contact Caitlin Summerlin at (402) 810-1399 or csummerlin@cedarskids.org.