And
whoever welcomes one child like this in My name welcomes Me. MATTHEW 18:5 (CSB)
Dear Faithful Partners,
2023 was another year of growth and God’s blessings. We continue to see more generosity, serve more children and families, and provide support and guidance to young adults who have experienced foster care as they find independence.
While we all wish there were no need for foster care, we continue to look to God’s guidance as we strive to serve more children and youth who have experienced trauma, neglect, and abuse. Our vision remains steadfast that these children experience the hope, healing, and unconditional love of Jesus.
I am humbled to play a role in this important Kingdom work alongside you.
May God Bless You.
1,568
Thank you for your faithful support!
Bob Bruder-Mattson President and CEO
In this Impact Report you will read how we are helping children across our many programs that include Foster Care, Adoption, Child Life History, FaithbridgeU, and Youth Opportunities. I’m thrilled to let you know that, together, we have served 1,568 children and youth in 2023. This is more than 3.5X the number of children served only a few years ago!
What We Do
TOGETHER WE BRING HOPE, HEALING, AND LOVE TO GEORGIA’S FOSTER CHILDREN.
When children are brought into foster care, they need families to help them heal from the trauma of neglect and abuse. FaithBridge is the largest, Georgia-based, and Christ-centered child placing agency in the state.
We recruit, train, and support foster and adoptive families in local churches. We license them to provide community-based, short- and long-term traditional, medically fragile, and therapeutic care as well as adoptive homes for foster children in Georgia.
We work with the State of Georgia to provide Child Life Histories for children who are eligible for adoption, ensuring they have all of their required documents to be adopted.
FaithBridge’s Youth Opportunities program collaborates with young people aging out of foster care to assess their needs, set personal goals, and provide the support they need to achieve successful independent lives in their communities.
FaithBridgeU provides valuable live and on-demand training for foster and adoptive parents to help them face the unique challenges that come with parenting children who have experienced trauma.
Our vision is for every foster child to experience the hope, healing, and unconditional love of Jesus Christ and our mission is to mobilize, organize, and equip local churches to solve their community’s foster care crisis.
WHEN CHILDREN ARE REMOVED FROM THEIR FAMILIES AND PLACED INTO FOSTER CARE, THEIR LIVES ARE FOREVER CHANGED.
It is our goal at FaithBridge to minimize the trauma and help children heal as their biological parents work toward welcoming them back home through reunification.
In 2023, FaithBridge foster parents served 336 children. We are pleased to report that 83 children reunified with their biological families, and another 28 were adopted into their forever homes.
By
THE NUMBERS
336
The number of children who were served in FaithBridge foster homes
66,808 the number of nights 336 children spent in safe, loving homes
83
The number of children reunified with their family
Foster Care
Meet the Smith Family
“SHE WAS ONLY 5 POUNDS, BUT WAS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BABY I HAD EVER SEEN.”
Josh and Heather Smith had just accepted newborn Emily* into their home. She would stay with them for the next two years.
From day one, Heather made efforts to build a relationship with Emily’s mom through texts, calls, emails, and photos. Their relationship grew stronger as they worked together towards reunification.
Like many foster parents, Heather and Josh struggled with wanting to protect themselves from getting too attached but they knew Emily needed their love. “We gave her our whole heart and that means our whole heart broke when she moved out of our home. But God is near to the broken hearted and binds up our wounds and makes a way where there is absolutely no way forward.”
Now that Emily and her mother are back together, Heather and Josh have stayed connected and continue to support them. “Today, her mom and I are dear friends. I babysit for her and we go out to dinner together. We take our kids to the park together and she and her kids are coming on our family beach trip this year as well!”
Heather and Josh continue to foster new children and they are giving them their whole heart, knowing that it is worth it. “We have seen the other side. And we know that hearts — and families — are able to be healed by God.”
95.7%
percentage of FaithBridge children who found stability in one foster home*
*This is more than 7.3X better than the state average.
FaithBridge works with the State to invite, train, and license adoptive families forteens, sibling sets of three or more, or children who have special needs.There are more than 300 children who fall into one or more of these categories and are waiting for a family to adopt them –some for a long time. These children and their stories can be found on sites like Wednesday's Child, It's My Turn Now, or America's Kids Belong.
Through this program, along with our foster care ministry, 32 children were adopted into FaithBridge families.
Meet the George Family
Carol and Joel felt a calling to expand their family through adoption, but they were unsure where to start. When they came across an ad for FaithBridge, everything fell into place. “It felt like it was the Lord – everything was clicking. The timing was perfect,” says Carol. “FaithBridge provided everything we needed to know along the way.”
Once they had completed all of the required training and paperwork, they were quickly matched with three siblings in need of a loving home.
The journey wasn't easy. There were challenges as the family adjusted to their new life, but through it all, love and laughter filled their home. Finally, in November, adoption day arrived, marking the beginning of a new chapter for the Georges and these children.
For Carol and Joel, adoption has been a profound journey of faith, filled with both struggles and incredible rewards. Their message is simple but powerful: adoption is about providing a safe and nurturing environment for children to grow and thrive. It's about breaking cycles and creating a new beginning. Ultimately, the greatest gift they received was the love and completeness of their family.
Learn more about FaithBridge's Adoption Services program here: faithbridgeadoption.org
IN 2023, MORE THAN 1,700 CHILDREN IN THE GEORGIA FOSTER CARE SYSTEM WERE UNABLE TO BE REUNIFIED WITH THEIR FAMILIES AND BECAME ELIGIBLE FOR ADOPTION.
For adoption to occur, each child is required to have a “Child Life History,” a compilation of documents that tells their life story. This includes official records like medical and education as well as information about their lives such as milestones reached, major life events, and family information.
These books, often spanning thousands of pages, are shared with potential adoptive families to help them understand the children’s backgrounds. They also serve as a way for the children to stay connected to their personal history after adoption.
FaithBridge completed 687 Child Life Histories in 2023, supporting each child on their journey towards finding a permanent, loving home.
The total number of children adopted through FaithBridge's Foster Care and Adoption programs combined The number of Child Life histories completed 32 687
Child Life History
faithbridgeu
WE ENVISION A WORLD WHERE ALL FOSTER AND ADOPTIVE PARENTS HAVE MORE THAN ENOUGH OF THE RESOURCES THEY NEED TO SUCCEED SO THAT CHILDREN FIND HEALING AND HOPE.
In 2023, we developed and launched more than 53 new hours of live and on-demand training content. In September, we built a front-end website allowing us to serve families beyond the FaithBridge organization. This has increased our impact through key partnerships with agencies and organizations across the nation.
the number of new users added to FaithBridgeU working with 11 different agency partners across the nation
Newly licensed foster and adoptive families
FaithBridge Youth Opportunities launched two programs in 2023: Fostering Youth Success and HUD Rapid Re-Housing
Through these programs, youth who have aged out of foster care in Georgia can receive essential support including educational and vocational training, housing, employment assistance, life skills training, medical, dental, and behavioral care, as well as mentoring.
FaithBridge’s Youth Opportunities program collaborates with young people aging out of foster care to assess their needs, set personal goals, and provide them with the support they need to achieve successful independent lives in their communities.
We also awarded the FaithBridge Founders Scholarship to two deserving young people who had been adopted into FaithBridge homes.
Click here to learn about the impact this program is making
The number of Young adults who are actively pursuing their post-secondary degrees
The number of individuals in the HUD Rapid Re-Housing program
IN NOVEMBER, WE HOSTED OUR ANNUAL GALA. OUR THEME WAS "HOPE AND A FUTURE," WHICH WAS INTENDED TO INSPIRE OTHERS TO JOIN US IN HELPING CHILDREN IN FOSTER CARE AND YOUNG ADULTS AS THEY AGE OUT OF THE SYSTEM.
Tori Hope Petersen, bestselling author, national speaker, and leading advocate in foster care, was our keynote speaker for this special evening. Drawing from her own experience, she shared the importance of changing the way we think of children and teens in foster care from “those who are troubled, to those who are treasured.”
As she shared her own story of struggles and triumph, she honored the adults who poured into her — making her the confident, hopeful woman she is today. She encouraged the people in the room to consider that it doesn’t take just one adult to change the trajectory of the life of a child, as the saying goes.
Rather, it takes a village. It takes all of us.
Click here to view highlights from our evening
Board of Directors & Executive LEadership
President and CEO
Bob Bruder-Mattson
Board Chair
Richard L. Jackson
Treasurer
Leslie Kurtz
Secretary Wayne Stolz
Board Members
Charles Evans
Laurence Powell
We are honored to be able to make an impact locally, regionally, and nationally. Here is a list of some of our accomplishments in 2023.
Developed
and presented the workshop “Finding Greater Success in Recruiting and Retaining Foster Parents” at the Family Focused Treatment Association’s 37th Annual Conference.
Collaborated
on the development of the report, WhyFosterChildrenAreSleepinginOfficesandWhat WeCanDoAboutIt. American Enterprise Institute. Read more here.
Presented
the following workshops at the CAFO 2023 Summit: 1) “Providing a Faith-Based Continuum of Care for Better Outcomes” 2) “Using Data to Get More Than Enough Where You Live” 3) “Unlocking the Power of Partnership Between Ministries.”
Achieved
national recognition as a certified Best Christian Workplace in the top category by BCWI for the fifth year in a row.
Participated
in the Senate Study Committee on Foster Care and Adoption (SR 282) that produced a report outlining recommendations to improve Georgia’s foster care system.
Influenced
DFCS to change foster parent reevaluation to become bi-annual and guided DFCS on an implementation plan.
Engaged in the Child Welfare Innovation Working Group with the American Enterprise Institute.
Faithbridge Foster Care
2555 Northwinds Parkway, Suite 500
Alpharetta, GA 30009
w: faithbridgefostercare.org
p: 678-690-7100
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With roughly 1,600 children waiting for adoptive homes each year and more than 11,000 children in foster care in Georgia, we believe the answer to this crisis is the church.
This is why we partner with local churches to help raise up and license adoptive, foster, and respite families. A Christ-centered foster care and adoptive ministry not only allows churches to care for vulnerable children and their families but also provides a way to support foster and adoptive families.
