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Prayer Breakfast to link partnerships for foster children in Fort Myers

By Staff | May 29, 2013

One Church One Child of Florida and Children’s Network of Southwest Florida are rallying support from faith leaders in Fort Myers area to help increase awareness of the number children available for adoption and to offer church Watch Care to children in Florida’s foster care.

The two private nonprofit agencies will host a free Prayer Breakfast from 10 a.m. to noon, Saturday, June 1, at Mt. Hermon Ministries, 2856 Douglas Street in Fort Myers. All faith-based organizations are encouraged to attend the event to learn how they can partner with One Church One Child and Children’s Network to help find permanent homes and provide Watch Care for children waiting in care.

One Church One Child works in partnership with churches, the Florida Department of Children and Families, Community-Based Care Lead Agencies and other community organizations to help recruit potential adoptive families in local communities. Children’s Network administers the child welfare system in Lee, Collier, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades Counties. The two agencies linked partnerships with Mt. Hermon Ministries to help bring hope to children in care and support for families in the five-county area.

Children’s Network is responsible for approximately 1,500 abused and neglected children, and delivers a comprehensive local system of care through subcontracts with more than 50 social service agencies. As of April 30, approximately 125 children were available for adoption in this area and need loving permanent homes, 40 of them with no identified placement or home to call their own.

Dr. Arie Sailor, executive director of One Church One Child of Florida, stated that linking partnerships with Children’s Network and the faith community is very important to the agency’s mission to improve prevention, intervention, promotion of adoption and support for families.

“We want to connect any missing links that may help place children in permanent loving homes,” said Sailor, who has led the agency for the past 11 years, in a prepared statement. Sailor hopes to share the agency’s new Watch-Care Project, which gives faith-based organizations an opportunity to connect with children in care and provide an umbrella of ongoing support and guidance especially to children aging out of care.

“Our agency is so excited for this Prayer Breakfast. It is a chance to educate and bring all of our local partners to the table, and to talk about the needs of our children and how the community can get more involved. One Church One Child is an amazing organization that truly is invested in our agency’s mission of protecting children and preserving families,” said Nadereh Salim, CEO of the Children’s Network of SWFL, also in a prepared statement.

For additional information about this event or to RSVP, please the One Church One Child headquarters office at 850.414.5620 or toll free at 1.888.283.0886 or email info@ococfl.org. The website for One Church One Child of Florida, Inc. is www.ococfl.org.

For more information about Children’s Network and its programs, visit www.childnetswfl.org or call us at 239-226-1524.

Source: One Church One Child of Florida, Inc. and Children’s Network of SWFL