Past (since last update)
Completed a 10-week More Than Enough (MTE) cohort alongside 18 other community leaders scattered throughout the country. Gleaned many best practices and will be implementing through a rhythmic MTE gathering. MTE identifies 4 goals:
Foster and kinship Families to have an ideal placement
Adoptive Families for all kids waiting to be adopted
Help for Bio families wanting to prevent foster care or reuinfy
Wrap-Around Support for all families
Have met with the director of Montgomery County (Dayton) Children Services multiple times (just did on 5/23) to work through these 4 goals to mobilize the community and church.
Quantifying impact through a new Personal Impact Dashboard I regularly update for personal and communal accountability.
For example, one metric I track is # of introductions. Since July 2021 I’ve made 282 individual introductions.
Have engaged with 8 churches to launch Stand Sundays. Stand Sundays throughout a region catalyzes “More families waiting for kids than kids waiting for families.”
Have mobilized the creation of 6 Care Communities, resulting in 72 volunteers who are in closer proximity to kids from hard places. Many more (4+) churches are in the mobilization pipeline.
Present (Today)
As of today we are at 100% of known support through 45 supporters for this fiscal year ending in October ‘22. Currently at 85% sustainability. Again, I'll stop sharing these #s when we become fully-funded because we'll be fully-focused.Click here to begin partnering.
Future:
Identified my hopeful role and rhythm - to begin mentoring 2-3 middle school boys from hard places through GOODLIFE.
Integrating with regional conveners to execute a framework for collaborative impact. Utilizing principles from The Art of Gathering (cannot recommend this book enough) to catalyze high-meaning gatherings for community and cause groups (i.e. youth workers, child welfare champions, and regional church leaders.) Utilizing principles and consultancy from Network Power and nation-wide conveners to implement. "Every significant movement has been the result of not a lone champion, but a network of dense networks all moving in the same direction." - David John Seel, Jr. Currently, piloting a tool to increase density inside and between local churches. This is the strategy forward to provide "More Than Enough".
If you have decided on a monthly investment and would like to finalize by filling out this form, we'd really appreciate it. And Thank You Again for everyone who supports this mission and our family. We are pumped for past, present and future healing.
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Hey Friends, Family, and Partners,
Are there more families waiting for kids than kids waiting for families? Only in Brown County, Texas there is. Find out why. What about everywhere else? No. Can there be? Yes.
For a kid with a harder story, the difference between a statistic and a success story is a single caring adult. Are there more mentors waiting for kids than kids waiting for mentors? No. Can there be? Yes.
For each vulnerable population there is “not enough.” Can there be More Than Enough? I'm convinced More Than Enough is possible if we believe it, do our part and do it together. I'm more hopeful than ever.
The plight of our suffering is disconnection, weak density. The solution is collaborative movement, in dense networks, where every person has a role and rhythm to care for another. What's your role and rhythm? Would you fill out this 2-minute survey so I can get to know you a bit better?
As of Mother’s Day we reached 100% through October '22! Currently at 85% sustainability. Monthly/annual partnership increases that %. I'll stop sharing these #s when we become fully-funded because we'll be fully-focused. Click here to begin partnering.
Thank you for your partnership,
Paul
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