The CALL in Garland & Hot Spring Counties

Get InvolvedFoster / Adopt

Each day, across Arkansas, about 20 children come into foster care, through no fault of their own. Each one of those children needs a safe place to stay, where they can grow and prosper. But in Garland & Hot Spring Counties, there are not enough homes to care for those children. So children in foster care from our county end up being placed somewhere else in the state.

Imagine being one of those children. You’ve been removed from the home you were living in and now on top of that, you are in a totally new place, away from your friends and school. That’s a lot of added challenge.

The CALL in Garland & Hot Spring Counties exists to recruit, train and support families from the Christian community right here in our own county who will care for children in foster care. Keeping those children locally is a win for everybody.

The goal when a child comes into foster care is almost always reunification with the original family. Of course, it’s much easier to make that happen when everyone involved is still in the county.

If we had just one family from each of our churches step forward to foster and/or adopt, we could have enough foster homes! Right here in our county!

Actually, our goal is more than enough homes. So that when a child comes into foster care, they can be placed in the right home for their needs.

You can be part of the solution to the foster care crisis in Arkansas right here at home. Come to an Info Meeting to learn more or contact us today.

Tonya Ross, County Coordinator

Tonya became aware of the need for more foster families when she and her husband opened their home to become foster parents in 2013. Since that time they have fostered nearly 100 children of all ages. In 2016, she began to volunteer for The CALL as a trainer. After retiring from a career as an elementary teacher, she became the County Coordinator in 2021. As a foster parent for 12 years she knows first-hand the struggles of fostering and how great the need is for more homes. She has witnessed how God can bring beauty out of brokenness through reunification with birth families and adoption. She leads a dedicated team of staff and volunteers in Garland and Hot Spring Counties to serve the needs of the community, DCFS staff, and wonderful foster and adoptive families.

She and her husband, Jerry, have been married for over 30 years and have 7 children. They enjoy spending time together as a family and are members of Hot Springs Baptist Church.

Sebrena Lewis, Program Coordinator

Sebrena attended her first information meeting with The CALL in 2018. Since then she has served as a church advocate, started a foster care and adoption ministry in her church, volunteered at various church, community and organization events, opened her home as a resource parent, became an ILP sponsor, and now serves as the Program Coordinator for The Call in Garland and Hot Spring Counties. She is passionate about seeing families healed and restored, and loves working in this space as the hands and feet of Jesus.

She and her husband, Shea, have been married for 29 years and have 3 children. They enjoy traveling with their family, exploring State & National Parks, and are members of Crossgate Church.

Amy Simmons, Administrative Assistant

Amy joined the CALL staff as an administrative assistant in September of 2024. Her love for children has always played an important role in her life. Before joining the CALL, Amy filled the roles of stay at home mom, teacher, and children’s ministry leader. In 2017, Amy started volunteering with the CALL and has been involved with foster family support. She and her husband, Tom Ed, have been married for 30 years and have 2 adult children and 2 golden retrievers. They love to travel and play pickle ball.

Mailing Address:

312 West St. Louis Street
Hot Springs, AR 71913

 

 

Resources
Foster Care Closet
The CALL resource center includes:
  • Foster Care Closet
  • Staff Offices
  • Training space foster & adoptive parents
  • Two birth family visitation rooms
Contact
Garland & Hot Spring Counties

Address
312 West St. Louis Street
Hot Springs, AR 71913

Phone
1-501-772-2522

Email
garlandhotspring@thecallinarkansas.org

County Coordinator
Tonya Ross

159
Churches
207
Children
In Foster Care
46
Families
Care for These Children