Children's Foundation of Mid-America

Children's Foundation of Mid-America helps troubled, neglected and abused children to reverse the course of their lives. The progress they make in our care impacts them for a lifetime. The work we do together on this day, reaches across generations.

A Very Merry Christmas

This Christmas will be special for the children in our care, thanks to the unprecedented support from our community. Our own "Head Elf" Angie Brown reflects on the extraodinary holiday spirit she witnessed this week and the undeniable magic that is our Annual Toy Drive.

It’s two o’clock in the morning. I’m exhausted from a day spent bending, packing and hauling large bags and boxes. I have a migraine, my feet hurt and, despite myself, I can’t sleep. But overpowering the aches and pains is a peaceful sense of gratitude; I am simply overwhelmed by the outpouring of love that we have received for our kids this Christmas.

We have received gifts from former beauty queens, from military contractors, from churches, and civic groups. We have received gifts from tattooed, pierced young people and from staid business people in button down shirts. The expression of care and love for kids who have been abused and neglected comes from across all cultures. Witnessing these diverse groups come together for our kids makes me honored to be part of such an amazing community.

This is not my first Christmas at Children’s Foundation; I have been collecting holiday donations for 13 years. But, Tuesday afternoon, in the rain, as we loaded and unloaded carload after carload of gifts, I was simply astounded. Never before have I seen such an outpouring of love.

Annual Toy Drive for Foster Children

care4kids's blog

Every Child Deserves to Believe

Imagine waking up Christmas morning to find nothing. No Christmas tree. No stocking. No Santa Claus.
No holiday dinner. No presents of any kind. This is a bleak thought for most of us. Now think of being a young child facing the most family-centered holiday of the year without your parents and perhaps without your siblings. On top of that, imagine Christmas in the year you faced so much abuse you were removed from your parent’s custody. Even as an adult, these circumstances are hard to fathom. But for some of our kids, this will be a reality without the gifts from the Annual Christmas Toy Drive.

Mark Your Calendar!

Valentine Gala at The Tower Club

Friday, February 10, 2012 - 7:00pm
Board of Directors Meeting

Friday, April 27, 2012 - 4:00pm - Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 12:00pm

Recent blog posts

Since they were in kindergarten, Gabe and his younger brother Shawn, had to go outside to the cold garage an hour before the school bus arrived to pick them up because their mom didn’t like them to be in the house. She said they “got on her nerves”.

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Shannon and her 4 year old son came to the shelter for Domestic Violence with just the clothes on their backs and a few supplies.

After years of suffering physical, emotional, and economic abuse at the hands of her live-in boyfriend, Shannon found she could no longer stay in her situation and protect her son.

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When Cindy found her mother dead from a drug overdose, authorities took Cindy and her younger sister into care. Their mother had struggled with her addiction for most of the girl’s lives.

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Little Benjamin didn’t know why the authorities took him from his mother’s arms to those of a stranger. He didn’t understand the danger that his mother’s filthy house filled with bugs and rotting food placed him in. Benjamin was only 6 months old when he and his two older siblings were taken by authorities and placed in a foster home.

After just 6 short months of mom working with the courts and her Children’s Foundation of Mid-America Case Manager, she got her life back in order. When she was on her way to interview for a third part time job, our case manager called her to tell her that her children would be home in time for a birthday party for little Benjamin.

The foster mom was awesome, working with the courts to be sure the children got back home where they were loved. In fact, foster mom attended that birthday party for Benjamin – it was a happy day.

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Val came into our care almost completely dysfunctional. His self-esteem was so low that he sat in the cottage and refused to go to the dining hall. “They will make fun of me.” “I can’t be near other people.” “Please don’t make me eat in public.”

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When Trisha came to our care, her most evident characteristic was her rebellious attitude. She was very strong willed and was determined to not follow our program. Trisha fought the system every step of the way.

However, patience and persistence paid off and Trisha made a remarkable change. The same strong will that propelled her rebelliousness became the vehicle that brought success.

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Dan worried about his family. He was taken from his home at age 14. Officials said his mother was incapable of caring for him and his siblings.

Dan’s mother couldn’t handle the frustrations of her husband’s leaving. Things in the house turned to chaos. Children ate when they were hungry or at home. There was no bedtime, so Dan came home whenever he wanted. He missed a lot of school. Dan’s mother frustration and anger eventually grew from depression and disorganization to abuse.

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Cameron and his brother got up alone every morning and this morning was no different. Their parents kept themselves locked in their basement bedroom where they smoke meth. Cameron's father was plagued with mental illness, but refused to take the medication. Instead he chose illegal drugs to treat his illness.

Cameron's family had been almost idyllic until his father became ill. The stress became too much for his mother and she began to abuse drugs as well. The children were neglected; the house was filthy and often there was little food.

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