About Fostering Our Future
Who We Are
Fostering Our Future at Grace Landing (FOF) is a community-based, faith-led partnership working to solve Florida’s foster care crisis by increasing the number of high-quality foster families and by working with families in crisis to safely reduce the number of children who enter foster care.
Our Mission
Changing the way we care for vulnerable children and families by connecting and empowering communities to help families thrive. By working together, we can accomplish our goal of giving every child a family and every family the support they deserve.
OUR METHOD:
There are over 20,500 foster children in Florida alone, and 27% have been in care for over two years. These figures are a staggering representation of Florida’s foster care crisis, and articulate the need to develop high-quality foster care and increased capacity for children in our communities who need a safe place to call home.
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High-Quality Foster Care
We help mobilize, organize, and equip local churches to care for vulnerable foster children as a compassion ministry of the church. We provide ministry team leaders with the training, tools, and resources they need to recruit, train, and support foster families within their congregation. We also help them establish foster care support teams, provide annual parenting and family seminars, as well as ministry-held events specifically for foster families and their support teams. -
Foster Care Prevention
We address foster care challenges at the root by bringing vulnerable families from crisis to stability and on to thriving. We advocate for vulnerable families by connecting them with local service providers and walking with them through the process of building their families back to stability. Our goal is to keep families together and their children out of the foster care system whenever safely possible.
We Are Faith-Based
The values of Fostering Our Future at Grace Landing are based on historical Christian faith and beliefs. We are motivated by Christian compassion to serve our neighbors.Jesus said...,
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind"[a]; and, "Love your neighbor as yourself."[b]
Core Values
Sacrifice
Focusing to keep God first and to serve children and families in every aspect of our work, without thought to self.
Perseverance
Remaining resolute and steadfast in our efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of the children and families we serve, and never giving up.
Integrity
Adhering to the highest ethical standards so everything we do and say will be above reproach.
Compassion
Understanding the struggles of the children we serve and keeping them front and center as the motivation behind all our efforts.
Excellence
Providing quality service and care in every phase of this ministry, with God as our standard.Our History
Our Team
Florida
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Julie Stephenson
Executive Director of Training & CRP -
Robyn Frank
Director of Business Operations -
Stephanie Day
Support Coordinator -
Joelle Pittman
Recruitment & Support Coordinator -
Kevin Strite
Vice President
Georgia
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Bill Hancock
President
Texas
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Juda Kunze
CO-Director FOF Texas operations -
Ken Kunze
CO-Director FOF Texas operations
Consultants
Fostering Our Future at Grace Landing works with a team of seasoned child welfare professionals who are active within our communities with CWP/CWCM & CWPI Florida Certifications.
Legal Support
We utilize some of the finest attorneys within our communities to assist with advocacy and training.