Local churches can now help families in crisis in Alfalfa County
ALFALFA COUNTY – 111Project Northwest Regional Manager Rita Blumer called the Cherokee Chamber of Commerce on September 8 with the desire to be connected with local church leaders.
Her goal was to launch CarePortal – a connection technology that allows agency partners to submit vetted needs to the community – in Alfalfa County but she needed three things: a host church, a community coordinator and three churches enrolled.
She was invited to the Cherokee Ministerial Alliance meeting that next Monday and by the end of the meeting, she had everything she needed to launch CarePortal in Alfalfa County. A few short months later, over 35 people gathered together to celebrate the first request going live at the CarePortal Launch event on November 30.
First Baptist Church Cherokee, Cherokee First Christian Church and Faith Center Fellowship Church were the first three churches to enroll in CarePortal. First Methodist Church was also in attendance of the CarePortal launch.
Northwest Family Serivces and Oklahoma Human Services are two partnered agencies in Alfalfa County that can submit vetted needs to the community to be met which will help families in need. These vetted needs can range from diapers and wipes to bunk beds and blankets, which will help support a foster family, strengthen a biological family, or help a family get one step closer to reunification.
Alfalfa County has 14 children in foster care as of November 1, according to monthly numbers released by the OKDHS.
OKDHS District Director Sara Ward said Alfalfa County is the 5th county under her supervision to launch CarePortal and she’s excited because she’s seen how it’s made an impact, not only on the families they serve, but also on the case workers.
“We really appreciate it so much because it helps families,” Ward said. “I’ve seen it help meet a need that will keep a child from going into foster care. I’ve seen it help foster parents meet needs for children on the fly. I’ve seen it where it helps a parent who’s just on the verge of getting a child reunified with them that has a few things that are a barrier – CarePortal has met that need.”
Ward has worked in the child welfare field for 21 years and she said CarePortal is a gamechanger.
“This has really closed that gap,” she said.
111Project is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) with the mission to mobilize the local church so every child has family. The organization’s initial goal is to mobilize 1,000 churches across Oklahoma that can serve at least one family a month on CarePortal and recruit and support a foster family every year.
If 1,000 out of the 6,200 churches in Oklahoma commit to recruit and support one foster family a year, and serve one family a month on CarePortal, the state will move closer to having more than enough help for children and families in crisis.
“We want there to be more than enough support, so children don’t have to wait – and it starts with people who care,” 111Project Executive Director Chris Campbell said.
CarePortal has opened doors for meaningful support from churches to families in need throughout the state. Any churches or individuals interested in learning more or getting involved can visit 111project.org.