The CALL is a 501(c)(3) faith-based non-profit organization. Our purpose is to mobilize Christians from multiple denominations and churches in local communities to meet the needs of children in foster care. The mission of The CALL is to educate, equip, and encourage the Christian community to provide hope for the children in foster care throughout Arkansas.
The CALL was founded in 2007 after a group of concerned individuals began looking for a way to provide hope for children in foster care. In 2010, The CALL became a statewide organization headquartered in Little Rock, and is now active in all 75 counties in Arkansas. Our goal is that whenever and wherever a child comes into foster care, that child will find a welcoming foster home in their own community.
Since our founding in 2007, The CALL has served more than 30,810 children in foster care. Of these, over 2,188 children have been adopted into their forever families. In 2023, The CALL recruited, trained, and supported 567 foster homes to care for 2,138 children. As we prepare this informational packet, The CALL has 276 available foster homes throughout Arkansas and 49 adoptive homes. Our vision is to recruit, train and support families until there is No Child Waiting in the Arkansas foster care system.
Simply stated, The CALL recruits families through churches who are interested in fostering or adopting children in the foster care system. Our staff and volunteers shepherd families through the state certification process. In addition, The CALL provides and equips volunteers to train families in order to open as foster and adoptive homes. Once opened, The CALL offers continuing support services such as trauma-informed education, immediate placement needs and support groups. Through our 31 support centers across Arkansas, we provide visitation space for biological families and their children in care, along with clothing and other necessities needed by families and children. This offers a pathway for local churches and volunteers to minister according to James 1:27.
We are compelled by God’s abundant love, and we exist to share that love and His unwavering hope with children in Arkansas foster care.
Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to
look after orphans and widows in their distress. . .
- James 1:27
When there are not enough foster homes in a county, a child coming into foster care will be sent to another county with an available foster home. A sibling group may be split up if a home that will take all of them can’t be located and may end up in different counties.
So not only was the child removed from a home situation, but now everything else changes too: new school, friends gone, all the familar landmarks gone. And the distance can make healing and reunification all that much harder.
Our vision in The CALL is to have more than enough foster homes available, so that when a child or sibling group needs foster care, the best home for that child or children can be found in their community.
