Here is a BE IN Lincoln opportunity for this evening. To introduce themselves to the community, A New Beginning Chiropractic and Acupuncture (ANB) at 3243 Cornhusker Highway will be celebrating with an Open House on Tuesday, November 15 from 4 to 7 PM.

There will be a ribbon cutting at 4:00 p.m., sponsored by the Lincoln Chamber of Commerce followed by a reception and tour of the business. The Open House will feature door prizes, drinks, food, music, art, and massages. Local musicians, Manny Coon and Nickie Calhoun will be playing acoustical music; Zane Mulligan will display his photography, and both Naturally Yours Salon and Andrea Gallagher will provide free massages. There will be a kids activities table too.

ANB is also celebrating Novembers’ National Adoption Month. A New Beginning Chiropractic and Acupuncture was named after the agency where Dr. Watson and his wife adopted their daughter in 2009. As a way of supporting adoption and foster care they will be handing out ‘Blessed by Adoption’ ribbon magnets and have adoption/foster care information available. All activities at the event are free, but donations will be accepted. Donations go to Nebraska Children’s Home Society’s Newborn Pantry / Lincoln Office. This program provides supplies such as diapers and blankets for newborn babies born to at-risk mom’s who are parenting or placing for adoption.

A generous amount of door prizes have been donated to ANB and include gifts from The Steak House, Sizzle N’ Go (another new startup-business to Lincoln), Scooter’s Coffeehouse, MAS Fitness, Chase Suite Hotel, Sweet Corn Products from Bloomfield, Nebraska, Lincoln Stars Hockey and A New Beginning Chiropractic and Acupuncture. You do not need to be present at the time of drawing to win. One prize allowed per adult per household.

If you are looking for good food, drinks, entertainment and mingling with adoption and chiropractic advocates go to the A New Beginning Chiropractic and Acupuncture open house. Go for the food, the music, to share your adoption story, or just to be inquisitive; they’d love to see you there.

Foster Care leads to Adoption for the Wilsons.

Last week we discussed the types of Foster Care. This week lets talk about the steps to becoming a Foster Parent. It all begins with thinking that you might be able to make a difference in a child’s life. You’ve heard the phrase, “If you think you can, you can.” No where is this more true than Foster Care. This is a big step, that will make a change in the life of a child and your life. We encourage you to watch the Wilson’s Story. They talk about how they went from not being interested at all, to choosing to help by providing Respite Care, to eventually adopting two young girls.

So you think, maybe you can. the first think you do is to contact Christian Heritage. After you contact Christian Heritage, a foster care recruiter will contact you at which time he/she will answer any questions you might have. When you know you want to proceed in the process, the recruiter will set up an informational meeting with you in your home. If a consensus is reached and you desire to continue your path towards fostering, you will be contacted regarding the next step in the process. Our recruiter will communicate with you the upcoming training sessions and make arrangements for you to be a part of the training classes.

STEP ONE: Training

The State of Nebraska requires all foster parents to complete 27 hours of Pride or 30 hours of PS-MAPP pre-service training, depending upon which service area you reside. Both types of training occur in a workshop setting which focuses on discussion, hands-on interaction and information on topics related to fostering or adopting youth. Topics of discussion include, but are not limited to, the role and responsibilities of foster parents, partnerships with team members and birth parents, community resources available to foster parents, preparing families for placement, the effect of separation on children and subsequent behaviors to expect from a foster child, identifying and coping with grief and loss, as well as teaching skills and techniques that will equip foster parents to provide the most productive and God-honoring care possible.

Christian Heritage conducts these trainings several times a year in our different service areas. Pride training is held in 3-hour sessions twice a week (generally Monday and Thursday evenings) over a 7-week period. PS-MAPP training occurs once a week for 3 hours (generally Monday or Thursday evenings) for 10 weeks. Once a foster care license is issued by the state and obtained by the foster parent(s), it is effective for 2 years. During the 2-year license period, 24 hours of additional and ongoing training is required. This will be discussed to greater detail in the next section of the fostering process.

STEP TWO: Licensing

Licensing is required by the state to assure that children are placed in an environment which meets minimum health and safety standards. There is no fee for foster parents to be licensed. This is a time-consuming process, but relevant to the safety of children in foster care.

Fingerprints, references, home studies and personal interviews are conducted, along with various forms and other state and federal security checks. Licenses are valid for 2 years. Prior to the end of the license time period, foster parents will receive a renewal application to complete. Issuance of a foster care license, however, does not guarantee placement of children in a home by any public or private agency.

What do you think of when you hear the words “FOSTER CARE”?

The word I think of ‘messy’. Growing up I knew kids in Foster Care, and their lives were a mess. Now, as an adult, I remember that mess. When someone brings up Foster Care, my first thought is to run away. “I don’t want to bring that mess into my house. We’re messy enough as it is.” Maybe your thought is “Those kids need a stable environment. It’s crazy at our house. My house isn’t the place for a kid who needs stability.”

Well, I’m beginning to see things differently. We’ve known the folks at Christian Heritage for some time now. As we get to know them and hear the stories of the kids they’ve place in homes, the more excitement I feel for those kids and the families that take them in.

Please watch this video. Open your mind to see what role you can play in the life of a child, and how that child may change your life in ways you never thought possible. Then contact Christian Heritage.

There are several ways that you can be involved with Christian Heritage and their efforts to minister to children and families. For now, let’s talk a little more about Different Types of Foster Care

According to the Nebraska Health and Human Services (HHS) System, foster care is a safety service for children when they are unable to remain safely at home. Children are provided with a substitute or supplemental family life experience in an HHS-approved or licensed home for a planned, temporary period of time.

The primary goal for children in foster care is to return them to their families.
Foster parents have the responsibility of helping children and their parents achieve this goal.

Types of Foster Care

Traditional: Child behaviors are age-appropriate the majority of the time and the child requires no more or slightly more daily supervision than other children of same age. Child does not have any major health conditions or concerns.

Continuity: Child has behaviors, medical conditions, and/or educational barriers that fall between the minor, age-appropriate level and the moderate/severe level.

Agency-Based: Child exhibits moderate behavioral and/or emotional problems at least daily or severe behavioral and/or emotional problems at least weekly. Child requires a behavior modification plan which entails significant or intensive daily administration by the foster parent(s) and the foster parent(s) must undergo instruction and training to administer the plan. Child has a chronic health condition or physical disability which requires special training and constant monitoring by the foster parent(s) and/or requires special equipment.

Emergency Foster Care: Emergency foster care means being available for immediate placement of a child on a 24-hour basis to serve children in crisis. This care can last a few hours to a maximum of 30 days. These children have been removed from their homes by law enforcement or the courts and need an alternative place to stay while an assessment is made of the home situation. Christian Heritage staff will assist with the placement of and support of these children, but often little information is available at the time of placement. Calls will be made for placement at all times of the day and night.

Fos-Adopt: When there is a possibility that the child may be available for adoption, the foster family accepts the child on a temporary foster care basis, but will adopt if the child becomes legally free for adoption. Though Christian Heritage is not an adoption agency, Christian Heritage will refer the family to the appropriate agency when adoption of kids into families through this type of foster care occurs. All ages of children are eligible for fos-adopt, but this is most common with children age 14 and under.

Respite Care: Providing care for a child so that the foster parent(s) can take a break. Children placed through Christian Heritage often need respite care and this can be done in the home of a friend or relative, but background checks must be done first.

Professional Foster Homes: Christian Heritage has six professional foster parent homes where selected licensed foster parents work with children and youth at all levels of foster care. The purpose of these homes is to provide a safe environment in which to equip children and families to live meaningful lives by teaching, modeling and building healthy relationships. Christian Heritage’s vision is to see children and youth experience healing and hope.

Christian Heritage is more than Foster Care.

Recently, we’ve heard a lot about children in need in Nebraska. You’ve heard about the Legislature changing the way it handles foster care. You’re no doubt aware of KVC and last month we focused on CEDARS. We can’t tell you how glad we are that these organizations exist. This month, we want to tell you about another amazing organization that is as deep into foster care as any in the state. Let us introduce Christian Heritage.

Christian Heritage is more than just foster care. Their mission is to improve the lives of children by equipping families, promoting responsible fatherhood, and strengthening marriages–because they believe every child deserves a family. Christian Heritage is Faith-Based, Strengths-Focused and Family-Centered. Their vision is to see Families Restored, Children Filled with Hope and Prepared for Life.

Seven children wasn’t enough.

It all started in 1980 when Gregg and Lisa Nicklas became foster parents. Within a year they had served seven foster children in their own home. Feeling called by the Lord to do more to care for Nebraska’s abused and neglected children led to Gregg’s resignation from a successful marketing career. Christian Heritage opened its first children’s home for eight teenage boys in 1981. A girls’ home was opened in 1985. Since then, Christian Heritage has provided homes for literally thousands of Nebraska’s children.

That wasn’t enough. Greg and Lisa realized that the children in foster care needed more than a place to stay temporarily. They needed families. Among other things, Christian Heritage set out to fill that need. Among other things, their efforts led to two initiatives, the Marriage Initiative and the Fatherhood Initiative.

The Marriage Initiative seeks to see that every engaged couple will be prepared for marriage and equipped to face the challenges of living in a relationship with a spouse, that every couple is committed to one another and to their children and that couples have the knowledge, skills and tools to overcome the trials that occur in every relationship.

ToDoInThisTown.com would like to invite you to join us over the next month as we get to know more about Christian Heritage, their initiatives, the children and the families they are helping. We hope that this month, as we head into the thick of Fall, that you will Fall in Love with Christian Heritage and find a way that you can get involved.