Woods County community members invited to support child welfare needs at CarePortal expansion celebration
OKLAHOMA CITY (Sept. 13, 2022) -- Oklahoma Human Services (OKDHS) is pleased to announce the expansion of CarePortal into Woods County. The community is invited to join in a launch celebration from noon to 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at First Baptist Alva, 714 College Ave. in Alva. To register, visit https://www.111project.org/events/.
CarePortal is a collaborative partnership between Global Orphan Project, 111Project and OKDHS. This online platform shares the needs of local children in state custody and their families to a community of churches, allowing them to respond to the needs in real-time. Professionals in the child welfare system focus on family needs that could be preventative of child welfare involvement and/or support child safety and family permanency, and the 111Project organizes ministry partners and trainings so the local community can step forward to support their neighbors and help children and families thrive.
"When the community surrounds their neighbors and offers tangible supports, the trajectories of lives can be changed in powerful ways. This is the work of CarePortal," said Jami Majors, OKDHS Director of Partner Engagement. "No matter your resources, there is a place for you to help. We encourage every congregation in Woods County to learn how they can partner and support the families in their community."
The 111Project agrees that the CarePortal can help the faith community make positive impacts for their neighbors.
"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 or to learn how you can partner with OKDHS to support families in your community, please contact Andrea.Stasyszen@okdhs.org. For information on how your church can participate in CarePortal, 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.
