The young mother was excited at the thought of spending an evening with friends. She dressed up, applied her makeup with care, and put her hair in a stylish do. There was only one more detail to take care of—the baby.
Six-month-old Sophie smiled and cooed as she was strapped into her car seat, tucked in with her favorite blanket, and carried outdoors. Too young to care for herself, she relied completely on her mother to do what was best for her. Instead of putting the car seat into her car, though, Sophie’s mother lowered the seat over the fence into a neighbor’s yard and left to join her friends.
Sophie was found at 3:00 a.m., when a newspaper carrier heard her crying and called the police. Sophie was placed with a Christian Heritage foster family who cared for the baby for four days, until her grandmother could be located.
For 32 years, Christian Heritage has been there to care for vulnerable kids whose parents have been unable to provide the safety and security they need. Our foster parents have opened their doors at all hours to take in children in need.
When Kyra was 14, her mother, Cindy, became disabled due to a neurological disorder that severely impaired her ability to care for Kyra. Because their only living relatives also suffer from this hereditary disease, Kyra was placed in foster care.
The Martins’ three children were grown and gone, but Larry and Leanne missed having young people in their home, so they had gone through training with Christian Heritage. Within days of receiving their foster care license, they received a call from Christian Heritage, asking if they could provide a home for Kyra. They were thrilled to be able to help.
Larry and Leanne have worked to keep communication open between Kyra and her mother, whose illness is terminal. The four of them recently sat down and talked about the future. With Cindy’s blessing, the Martins have agreed to become Kyra’s guardians so that she will always have a home.
Christian Heritage serves over 130 children every day. Some will be in and out of foster care in a few days. Others, like Kyra, will need people to open their hearts and homes to them permanently.
Every month, we have to turn down requests to place dozens of children because we simply do not have enough foster parents to meet the demand. We need more people to answer the call to care for kids.
If you would like more information on Christian Heritage or learn how to become a foster parent, please contact us by phone at 402-421-5437 or through our website at www.chne.org. We’d love to have the opportunity to talk with you.