As part of The CALL’s mission to educate, encourage and equip the local church we hold Information Meetings every month. In Crawford and Sebastian Counties these are always held the second Monday of each month and take about 2 hours, if you stay the entire time. These meetings are open to anyone in the community and are held at a different local church each month. So what is an Information Meeting?
An Information Meeting is just as it sounds, a meeting where you can get information. Whether you are interested in fostering or adopting or just finding out more about the need in our area. These events will cover all of those topics and more. We begin by presenting information about The CALL, who we are, what we do, our mission and vision. Then we discuss the need in our area. Did you know Sebastian County has more kids in care than anywhere in the state? We will discuss the number of children, the number of current homes available and the different types of homes. We will also talk about the way The CALL partners with DCFS (Department of Child and Family Services). At the conclusion of our presentation a representative from DCFS speaks.
The DCFS Representative will discuss DCFS’ role in the process. Their presentation will review some of the requirements such as training, paperwork and home studies. They will be available to answer any questions you may have and to clarify any confusion or misunderstandings. There are a lot of misconceptions out there; you may be surprised what you learn! After the presentations are complete we take a short break. This is an informal gathering so you are welcome to take a break or have a snack at anytime. We take a formal break after the presentations so no one feels like they have to stay. We are not here to make you uncomfortable or feel obligated to complete the meeting. We understand how difficult and life changing this process can be and we would never want anyone to become a foster or adoptive parent unless they are called by God to do so and feel completely comfortable with their decision.
After the break we will thank everyone for coming and you are free to leave at this time if do not wish to proceed further or if you want more time to think about it. However, if you are interested in starting the process toward fostering or adoption you are welcome to stay. We will pass out the necessary paperwork, including background checks, to get you started. We also have a Notary Public present at all Information Meetings so the background checks can be completed and mailed in the next day. Once you are finished with that, there’s a short online survey you can complete at home and then you can sign up for one of our PRIDE trainings.
As you can see a lot goes on at these meetings and it takes teamwork, from the church to our staff to the volunteers to make it all happen. We know the process can be long and difficult but The CALL is here to make it easier, not only to get started but with support along they way. When you sign up with us we not only walk you through the process of becoming an ‘open home’ but we’ll be here for you even after you’ve started fostering or finalized an adoption. Once you start the process with us, you will always be a CALL Family.
If you’d like to sign up to attend an Information Meeting you can here. If you think your church would host one, we’d love for you to contact us. Our County Coordinator is Emily Treadaway, 479-353-0767 or etreadaway@thecallinarkansas.org
