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 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 over 80 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 the last 8 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 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 4 children. They enjoy spending time together as a family and are members of Hot Springs Baptist Church.
Mailing Address:
312 West St. Louis Street
Hot Springs, AR 71913
