Foster parents are having an extra challenging time right now. They are doing their best to keep life “normal” for the the children in their care. Things like therapy, court visits, bio family visits, are all virtual. Family visits disappeared overnight. Foster parents are spending their days and data plans video conferencing with bio families and social workers, all the while trying to implement homeschooling activities, cooking many meals a day, and keeping the kids entertained and engaged.

Most of our homes have multiple children (on average 5 to 6), and some of these kids have medical needs. It’s difficult, if not impossible, for the parents to leave their homes to grocery shop. And when they do, they are presented with limits on the items they need the most such as milk, bread, and eggs.
Please consider signing up to shop for and deliver an essential grocery bundle to any of our foster families.

Sign up here: https://bit.ly/BasicBundleDropOff
*Drop-offs will be safe, with no interaction with any family members.*

Drs. Aaron Cregger and James Schneider have been caring for multiple children and parents living in our 13 homes for several years. It’s difficult to find a dentist who accepts Medicaid, and when you do, you typically have to schedule 8 or more months out. They treat the foster children’s teeth on both an emergency basis and a preventative basis, in addition to providing ongoing care. They call in favors from specialists to perform work on their teeth, ranging from periodontal work to oral surgery to orthodontics. They not only tend to our families’ teeth, but they also take part in our annual Secret Santa exchange as well as attending fundraising events and donating to Wish Wednesday Facebook fundraisers. They make it a point to be involved in the lives of our kids beyond their dental hygiene.

“Dr. Cregger has been a blessing to my family! He treats all of my teens and myself,” says Barb Bocklage, one of our foster parents. “I cannot say enough about how much I appreciate him, as there are no words. Prior to using Dr. Cregger my foster children struggled just to get a cavity filled. Thank you Dr. Cregger for being a blessing in our lives!”

“They have always gone above and beyond for our family. Even getting colleague specialists to see a few of our boys,” says Phyllis Hackman, another 

one of our foster parents. “They continue to see us parents with insurance and they forgive any portion of the balance that our insurance doesn’t cover. They are a BLESSING.”

Finally, another one of our foster parents, Jennifer Tripp, tells a story of the difference Dr. Cregger makes in the lives of her kids:

Let me tell you what it was like before, myself and our foster children started visiting with Dr. Schnider and Dr. Creggers office. 

It wasn’t a pleasant experience for my kiddos. Dental clinics that take Medicaid are far a few between and not the most friendly or organized places to visit for dental needs. 

Scheduling, well let’s just say, once I scheduled my kids for an appointment, the waiting period is at least a month or longer to get them in. If an emergency happens, you take your kids into the clinic. While there, we wait most of the day to see a dentist for the emergency unless we’re really lucky. It’s exhausting for everyone! 

Once, the child is called back it’s more like an assembly line without private rooms or feeling of privacy for talking privately with the doctor. 

It’s a long drawn out experience of which I do not miss!

Now let me tell you about Dr. Schnider’s and Dr. Cregger’s office

I have been taking my kids to their office for years. There are many reasons why. 

We’re always greeted with smiles and kindness. We are always called back within 10 minutes. All of us, the entire family called back together. 

Once we get called back, we are informed of what is to take place and put into a clean private room. 

Both Doctor’s and staff are informative and answers any questions we may have. 

Everyone is so good about working with our children. They have a way of making our kids feel safe and comfortable. 

When finished up, after being treated with gentle care our kids get prizes and of course a new toothbrush and paste. How fun! 

And scheduling, never an issue. Never having to wait long especially, for follow ups. And emergency’s well, my kids are seen that day or the next morning. How great is that!! 

The fact that Dr. Schnider and Dr. Cregger and staff open up their hearts, their talents and their time to give our foster children healthy and beautiful smiles is a godsend to me and our foster children. They walk out of the office with million-dollar smiles and it’s not just because they got their teeth cleaned it because of the whole experience.

Also, many of our board members as well as our founder and executive director, Bess, go to these dentists. “I never thought I’d look forward to going to the dentist, but I actually do now,” says Bess. “This practice is a family, and I receive the best care possible.”

They are currently accepting new patients at their new and beautiful office located at 1000 Des Peres Rd. Suite. 130, St Louis, MO 63131.

Hours:

Monday-Wednesday 4:30am to 5:00pm

Thursday 4:30am-12pm (noon)

Contact:

https://www.toothfixer.net/

(314) 567-7737

Facebook page

Katie and Josh Brown have been an integral part of the Angels’ Arms family since 2011. They have treated every single child who has entered their home with love and compassion. The Browns are known for their love of the outdoors. During their time at Angels’ Arms, they have given children the opportunity to enjoy fun outdoor activities they normally would have never had.

“It’s so exciting to show kids who come to our home a whole world of experiences that they haven’t seen before,” says Katie. “Whether it’s going for a nature hike, running in their first 5k, or even just playing at a local

 park. One of my favorite memories was taking a young man on his first hike, he told me afterwards he had ‘no idea there was so much space out there to just walk around.’”

Below, we asked them a few questions about their time at Angels’ Arms:

1. How long have you been with Angels’ Arms? How many years have you been fostering total?

We have been with Angels’ Arms for 9 years and fostering for 12 years total.

2. What made you want to become a foster parent?

We both grew up understanding the need for kids to have a stable home due to our own life experiences.  It was, and still is, important to us to be a safe, stable support for kids in need.

3. How many kids have you fostered through Angels’ Arms? 

We fostered around 50 different kids during our time with Angels’ Arms.  Kids as young as 2 weeks to young adults and just about every age in between!

4. What has being a part of Angels’ Arms meant to you?

Being a part of Angels’ Arms, meant being a part of a family.  Without having many of our own family members close to us in St Louis, Angels’ Arms became like family and a strong support for us.  The love and generosity of the community not only helped the foster children we served but we also made some invaluable friendships along the way.

5. What is your fondest memory of being with Angels’ Arms? 

We have so many special memories from our time at Angels’ Arms.  One of my first memories was when we took an infant girl shortly after moving into the Angels’ Arms home.  Within less than 24 hours of asking for clothes for the girl, we had an entire porch full of clothes for her!  We hadn’t felt that kind of love and support before with fostering!  Another fond memory we have were of the monthly family activities.  The volunteers who ran those activities had such a way of making each child feel special and appreciated!  We truly looked forward to each one because it brought such joy to the kids!  

6. What’s next for you and your family?

We will miss being such an integral part of the Angels’ Arms family but with our 2 children growing up and needing more from us, we need to take a step back from taking the larger number of foster kids.  We will continue to serve children in the St. Louis area so keep an eye out, the Browns will still be around!  We want to thank each person who has been a part of our Angels’ Arms journey, you’ve made such a difference not just in our lives but in the lives of all the children we were able to foster with your support.  Thank you!

Many of you have been fortunate to get to know some pretty special foster parents who have lived in our home in Winghaven for 9 years. Josh and Katie Brown have been family to many children in need over the years. But these two individuals go way beyond what foster parents are expected to do.

 

While taking kids who’ve been physically abused, sexually molested and severely neglected, they make sure that each of these children receives every available resource out there. They ensure that each child is included in all aspects of family life. In short, they truly love each and every child and teen who walks through their door.

 

I recall Josh, who’s a pilot, taking the kids on a tour of a plane. 

I recall Katie visiting incarcerated biological parents on multiple occasions and trying to keep the lines of communication open with their children. 

I recall Josh and Katie visiting the homes of the biological families to try and make the transition back home from their foster home a bit smoother.

I recall them taking children to the emergency room at all hours of the night.

I recall them ensuring the children in their care ate healthy and became physically active. They even enrolled some of them in walks and marathons.

I recall them going to church every week and ensuring the kids felt comfortable in their classes.

I recall Katie being in the delivery room with one of their teens who came to them pregnant. She was a mom to this young girl and still remains a part of her life. 

I recall Josh teaching a teen how to drive and trying to guide him in the right direction through all of his challenges. They still are in touch to this day.

And finally, I recall the day when this beautiful family adopted Zeke, a young boy full of life and tons of potential. And I recall the day they adopted sweet Olivia, a caring and lovely little girl. 

 

Please join me in sending off Josh, Katie, Zeke and Olivia Brown as they transition into their next chapter of life. They will be sorely missed by all of us, but they will always continue to do God’s work. Their journey is rooted in faith, and that’s where they get their extreme dedication and strength.

Out of an abundance of caution for our team members, foster families, volunteers and supporters, we are following CDC recommended guidelines surrounding COVID-19 and will be working remotely through April 3. Although our physical office will be closed, we will continue to be available to support our foster families on a daily basis and will provide them with resources they need to care for the children in their homes.

Also, in an effort to keep our families and supporters safe, we are limiting visitors to our homes and suspending all meal drop-offs, birthday pal sign ups and volunteer work days. These are uncertain times, but there are still things you can do to help the families living in our homes:

1. If you wish to continue to support our families with a meal, we ask that you consider making a donation on our website instead so that we can purchase grocery gift cards for the homes.
2. For those who wish to ensure our March and April birthday kids still have a birthday celebration, we encourage you to send a birthday card and include a gift card if you wish. For a list of birthdays, email Ashley@angelsarms.org.
3. Visit our Amazon wishlist and have supplies delivered directly to our families.

As far as our May 15th Sip and Savor Fundraising Event , we have not made any decision to cancel or reschedule the event but we are monitoring the situation closely and will make any future updates relating to the event via our website and facebook page.

In November of last year, the Junior Board elected a new President – Jordan Shelton! She previously served as the Vice President of the Junior Board and was the recipient of the 2017 Angel of the Year Award. Jordan got involved with Angels’ Arms since she joined the Junior Board in 2015. Her decision to join stemmed from her teaching; one of the students in her class was in the foster care system and separated from his sibling. Upon learning this information about her student, Jordan recalled hearing about a nonprofit whose mission was to keep siblings in the foster care system together – Enter Angels’ Arms and the Junior Board! Jordan says she hasn’t looked back since filling out the Junior Board application.

Below, we asked Jordan a couple quick questions about her newly-elected role and what Angels’ Arms means to her:

What’s your favorite part about being on the Junior Board?

I can’t pick just one favorite part of being on the Junior Board, it is so much fun for such a great cause! A few of my favorite parts of being on the Junior Board are getting to plan and execute fun events with the rest of the Junior Board that raise money to help the kids in the Angels’ Arms homes and getting to plan and attend events with the kids in the Angels’ Arms homes. Events like Trivia Night, Sip & Savor, and Bar Bounce are so fun to plan and a blast to attend, but getting the opportunity to meet the kids and young adults in the Angels’ Arms homes at those events really warms my heart and reminds me why we do those other events.

Describe what it means to be elected President of the Junior Board.

It is such an honor to be the new President of the Junior Board! I have had a lot of great examples to follow from the past presidents and I am so excited to get to help lead such an involved and passionate group of young professionals. The members of the Angels’ Arms Junior Board really help make my job fun because they are so involved, bring lots of great ideas, and have a heart for these kids.

Jordan at our annual Skating with Santa event.

Jordan at our annual Sip and Savor event.

Jordan receiving the and 2017 Angel of the Year Award.

The wait is over – we have brand new merchandise! Visit The Angel Shop to get all of your Angels’ Arms gear. Sport your favorite charity organization while golfing with our stylish new quarter-zip. Or get the kids involved with our first-ever toddler and youth graphic t-shirt. You can have your ordered shipped to you for a small shipping fee, or pick it up from our office. 100% of the proceeds go directly to the foster families living in all of the Angels’ Arms homes.

January is National Mentoring Month! According to National Day Calendar, all throughout January we “focus on how we can all work together to increase the number of mentors to make sure young people in our communities have dependable people to look up to and follow in their footsteps.”

The mentors who help the kids in our Life Launch program are truly unmatched. We currently have several teens and young adults, ages 14-21, who take part in Life Launch, which is an extensive program that involves working one-on-one with foster youth and incorporates life skills, career exploration, job shadowing, college visits and mentoring. One of the most important pieces of Life Launch is matching every single youth with a mentor. Mentors help guide our youth as they explore, prepare and transition from foster care to young adult life.

“Being Jason’s mentor has been an incredible experience for me,” says Nate, mentor to an Angels’ Arms youth. “The opportunity to have fun with someone, build a friendship with them, and pour into their life in a positive way is a huge blessing. I highly recommend it! Our lives are so much more meaningful and rich when we invest in others. I believe mentoring not only provides an opportunity to make an impact in someone else’s life – it provides an opportunity to impact your life as well.”

Not only do the mentors prepare them for life, but they also help our youth start to trust others again and form meaningful relationships. 

“Nate has been more like family to me than just a mentor,” says Jason, the Angels’ Arms youth who was matched up with Nate. “He’s always positive and that makes being around him all the more enjoyable. He’s so nice and checks in with me a lot. I appreciate things like how we always laugh when we’re together and how he’s super sincere about who he is. I am grateful he’s my mentor and my friend.”

For more information about what it takes to be a mentor to one of our youth, email cat@angelsarms.org or visit the Life Launch page on our website.

What started as an idea of getting the community involved in foster children’s lives is now a 20-year-old organization that has served close to 600 children. No single person can be given the credit of starting this thing. From the very first day as we gathered around my dinner table with close friends, the support and determination and hard work began. Each day that we shared the idea of providing a loving family to foster children with a focus of keeping siblings together, more and more people came forward and showed their love.

First was the 501c3 application process. (No one told me I could have an attorney handle this.)

Next was gathering a group of passionate and committed individuals to form a board. 

We needed to generate funds so we sold cookbooks resulting in a whopping $4,000 profit. 

Then Tom Hartanagel (founding Board Member) decided to host a fashion show/auction. We had 100 guests and were beyond elated.

Then came the first house. John Dennis, a teacher I worked with at Sperreng Middle, decided to help us obtain the house across the street. It was big. It had a huge yard. It was a great location. It was $400,000. John Dennis believed.

From that point on every weekend over the course of 9 months was dedicated to transforming this dark and old house with shag carpet throughout (they even left us a rake!). Volunteers poured in from all over the place and made this house a warm home. People adopted rooms, made meals for the volunteers, donated supplies, held garage sales, painted, remodeled, replaced, tore down, and gave and gave until 12128 Tesson Ferry was ready to be called a home and to welcome children of all ages. 

Next came the search for foster parents. Interview after interview finally resulted in Becky and Jesse Hughes being chosen as the inaugural house parents. Their application read like this: “How long do you see yourselves doing this?” “Until we’re physically unable or until God calls us home.” 

Next enter the Greek ladies. From the time that we had one home all the way to 13 of them, these selfless and beautiful souls hosted activities every single month for all the families. Their outings started with a family of 12 and ended with over 100 participants each month. 

The foster system is broken. Most people in the field either quit from burnout, sadness and frustration, and they’re told to keep quiet about what happens. 

It doesn’t have to be that way. We should all have the opportunity to be a part of these children’s lives. 

And that’s what happens every day at Angels’ Arms. People give in countless ways. Lemonade stands. Cereal drives. Meal drop-offs. Birthday celebrations. Hundreds of fundraisers. Tons of work days. Activities and opportunities. We’ve had everything from a carnival in the backyard to kickball and wiffle ball tournaments to Easter egg hunts and more. We’ve witnessed more acts of love and kindness than we ever would have imagined.

But at the end of every single day we know this: all children need love. And all children who’ve lived and are currently living in one of our 13 homes get just that. There is so much love in every action that people take. We get to witness this every day. And more importantly, each child experiences this love. 

Sometimes we deal with heartache. Sometimes we feel defeated. Sometimes we get tired. But then we are energized by the smile on a child’s face or the letter that a youth writes us or the story that a foster parent shares conveying something that may seem small to most but is huge for them. 

I’ve said this since the year 2000 and I say it almost daily: we’re all in this together. Giving and showing love is something everyone can do. That is what changes lives. Truly the most powerful therapy is human love.  We are filled with wonder and excitement to see what another decade brings. Yes, the foster system is broken. Yes, we are fixing it…one child at a time. 

As we head into the new decade, we head into a new chapter of Angels’ Arms as well. We are so overwhelmed and overjoyed with the outpouring of support we’ve had for the past 20 years. We couldn’t have made our mission possible without the help of our supports, donors, board members, junior board members and staff. Because of this monumental year, we have rolled out THREE new logos to showcase our excitement.

“There’s much work to be done,” says Bess, our Founder and Executive Director. “More kids, more outreach, more homes, more families and more love.”

The outpouring of love that our families have received in the past week is overwhelming. We had over 40 companies and individual donors who adopted our families in order to ensure they were taken care of this holiday season. Joy, laughter and love are three words that simply describe how we felt seeing the support for our families. From all of our at Angels’ Arms, including our families, staff and board members, we wish you a happy holidays.