11-4-2024 - Kayla Bell, Keith Powell and Afton Spriggs

Kayla Bell, Volunteer with Safe Families for Chldren along with Keith Powell and Afton Spriggs, Local Directors appeared on a special edition of Morning Mingle with Mark Wells this (Monday) morning on WFIW-FM 104.9 to talk about the program and how to become a volunteer host family. Safe families is a Christian based program that helps out isolated parents (or in some cases, grandparents who have custody) who are in crisis and who have no support system, like family, who can keep the kids. The people that host, are unpaid volunteers from the local churches.Different crisis scenarios look like homelessness, hospitalization/health issues, job loss, domestic abuse, incarceration, substance abuse treatment, etc. for the parents. They can find a home for children and usually place them the same day if needed. It's completely voluntary for the parents to place the children and they get them back whenever they want and/or whenever they are ready. The program is to prevent these kids from being placed in the foster care system by helping these families before abuse/neglect occurs. It is not for children with behavioral disorders (like if the parents just can't control them/runaways/etc.) as that you would refer to a CCBY provider like One Hope United. And not for kids with findings of abuse/neglect as this would be a DCFS case at that time. If you're interested in being a host family, making a monetary donation since this is a 501C3 ministry, reach out to them as they desperately need volunteers here in Southern Illinois. Reach out to Keith Powell at 618-319-5751, Afton Spriggs at 618-353-4285 or email [email protected] or safe-families.org