OKLAHOMA CITY, OK (DATE) – Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) is pleased to announce the expansion of CarePortal into Pontotoc County. The collaborative partnership between Global Orphan Project, 111Project and OKDHS is an online platform sharing the needs of local children and families to a community of churches, allowing them to respond to needs in real-time. Child Welfare professionals identify the needs, focusing on child safety and permanency, and the 111Project organizes ministry partners and offers trainings that equip members to say yes to helping a family.

A CarePortal Launch Celebration will be held from 2-3:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 29 at the Pontotoc County OKDHS Office, 2320 Arlington, Suite B in Ada. With 85 children in the county in state custody as of July 1, everyone has a role to play to support them and their families. To register, visit www.111project.org/cplaunch.

"There are so many stories I could tell about lives changed and communities supporting one another through CarePortal," said Jami Majors, OKDHS Strategic Engagement. "Now, more than ever, it is imperative that communities step forward to support their families, and CarePortal is helping those communities make a difference for Oklahoma families."

"We always ask, 'What if we had more than enough' - more than enough resources so biological families can achieve not just reunification but restoration, more than enough people caring for and serving others so no one is alone, more than enough foster families so families are waiting on children instead of children waiting on families," said Chris Campbell, Executive Director of the 111Project. "We exist to mobilize the faith community so that the local church is not just aware of needs of children and families in crisis but are partnered with the state to see that those families have all the support that they need."

For OKDHS CarePortal questions, please contact Andrea.Stasyszen@okdhs.org. For church CarePortal questions, please contact the 111Project at info@111project.org.

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Editor's note: Interviews are available with advance request at the CarePortal launch event.