tHE Z MUG
hELPING KIDS IN FOSTER CARE… ONE MUG AT A TIME
50% OF EVERY Z MUG IS DONATED TO
THE SANCTUARY FOSTER CARE SERVICES
IN HOUSTON, TEXAS
AFTER MAKING MY FIRST MUG I HAD THE IDEA FOR THE Z MUG.
THE GOAL IS NOT ONLY TO RAISE MONEY, BUT MORE IMPORTANTLY RAISE AWARENESS TO THE GREAT NEED IN OUR FOSTER CARE SYSTEM.
THERE ARE TOO MANY CHILDREN COMING INTO FOSTER CARE AND TOO FEW FAMILIES TO TAKE THEM.
THE FOSTER FAMILIES THAT ARE WILLING AND ABLE TO TAKE THEM, OFTEN DON’T HAVE THE ONGOING SUPPORT THEY NEED TO CARE FOR THE CHILDREN THE BEST THEY CAN OR THE DESIRE TO DO IT AGAIN AFTER A CHILD LEAVES THEIR CARE.
THE SANCTUARY UNDERSTANDS THIS NEED AND PROVIDES THEIR FOSTER FAMILIES WITH THE TOOLS AND RESOURCES NEEDED TO BE SUCCESSFUL. READ MORE ABOUT THE SANCTUARY AND HOW THEY ARE DIFFERENT BELOW.
tHE Z MUG
hELPING KIDS IN FOSTER CARE… ONE MUG AT A TIME
My Hope For The Z Mug
MY HOPE IS THAT THE Z MUG WILL BE A DAILY REMINDER aS WE SIP OUR COFFEE OR TEA EACH MORNING…
TO DO WHAT WE CAN, WHEN WE CAN, EVERY CHANCE WE GET.
THE PAIN AND HURT THAN HAPPENS ALL AROUND US EVERY DAY CAN BE OVERWHELMING. IT CAN SEEM THAT THE BROKENNESS AND EVIL IN OUR WORLD IS TOO MUCH TO CHANGE AND SO WE DO NOTHING. UNFORTUNATELY, WE CAN’T CHANGE THE WHOLE WORLD OR FIX OUR FOSTER CARE SYSTEM OVERNIGHT. SO MUCH OF THE WORLD IS OUT OF OUR CONTROL. BUT OUR ACTIONS, OUR DAILY SACRIFICES, OUR SMALLS ACTS OF KINDNESS, WE CAN CONTROL, AND THOSE CAN AND WILL HAVE AN IMPACT.
ASK YOURSELF EVERY DAY… “IF NOT ME… THEN WHO?”
About Z
Late on a Tuesday night in January 2023 we got the call about Z, a few hours later the sweetest two-week old baby was in our arms. We had no idea how long he would need us, but we were ready to love and care for him as long as he needed us.
‘Foster to Adopt’ is an interesting term. We got asked a lot if we were open to adoption. Yes, we are. But one thing I realized very quickly holding this precious little boy in my arms is, we can’t hope to adopt him. We can’t love him the way he deserves and at the same time hope to adopt him. That would mean also to hope he loses his entire family. In order to love him we must also love who he came from and hope and pray for reunification.
Z had parent visits twice a month with mom & dad. I didn’t meet the parents at first, but I sent a note about how Z was doing and pictures at each visit. Dave and I wanted to make it very clear to them that Z was in a safe and loving foster home and that we were here to stand in the gap until he could come home. Mom did great since the start, she’s been doing all the things required for her to do. We eventually met and over a couple months I got to know mom. A woman who made mistakes that led her family to this situation, but also a woman who obviously loves her kids and Worked hard to get them back. We exchanged numbers and I kept her updated on Z with pics and videos and reminded her often that we were praying her. She frequently communicated her gratitude that Z was placed with us.
Z’s great aunt was willing to take Z and his twin siblings. It took some time for the home study and background checks to be completed but she was eventually approved.
Eight months later we packed all his things and said goodbye.
Without a doubt, that was the hardest moment in my life. It wasn’t just that he was leaving. We know that family, that can love and care for him is the best place for him. The hard part was that it may be the last time we saw him and even worse the idea that we may never know how he is. A few hours after he left my heart was broken and I was feeling helpless with all the ‘what if’s’. Within a few minutes both mom and aunt texted, and I felt an overwhelming peace. Aunt and Mom keep us posted With pictures and videos. We even got to babysit him a couple times before we moved to ohio. He is still doing wonderful and has the same big and perfect smile!
Not all fostercare stories are like ours. Some are much much harder. Some kids go back home to places they shouldn’t, some never get to go back home. But that won’t stop us from doing this again. It’s scary, heart wrenching, and beautiful all at the same time.
When God calls you to do something, do it!
You may not always know why or see the end results of your obedience. But sometimes you will. Whether you see it or not… it’s always beautiful.
“I’ll take on a broken system and risk a broken heart just to see a broken family mended any day.” - Fostering Without Fear
Not everyone can be a foster parent, but everyone can do something.
PROVIDE RESPITE CARE
DROP OFF A MEAL TO A FOSTER FAMILY
DONATE TO A LOCAL FOSTER CLOSET
VOLUNTEER
About The Sanctuary
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Hope and real solutions with licensed counselors
Provide professional counseling to our foster children, foster parents, and the foster family to ensure the stability and health of the placement.
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On-call staff ready to assist the family in their time of need
Even after foster parents undergo extensive pre-service training, we understand that many foster parents need additional support with some of the challenging behaviors our children arrive with. Therefore, we have a 24/7 hotline that is provided to all of our foster parents, which includes a TBRI crisis staff member who is prepared to arrive at the house within 30 minutes of a crisis call.
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Everyone needs a break. Especially foster parents.
Imagine having a child in your home whose trauma causes behaviors so challenging that you are not sure you can keep going. Unfortunately, this is the real, hard truth of foster care for both those kids and the foster families caring for them. We are building up an army of Respite Care providers who can help take these kiddos in for a weekend to give our foster parents a much-needed respite from the front lines.
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It takes all of us.
We utilize an army of volunteers through local churches, businesses and from the community who help meet the needs of the families on the front lines of foster care! We have teams of volunteers who help host foster and adopt family events, provide meals, and meet materials needs. We also have individuals who step up to walk alongside a specific child as a mentor. When our foster families are under great stress, we love to be able to rally the community to show up for them and show them they are not alone. We believe if we can stabilize the family, we can stabilize the child. We believe that while not everyone can foster or adopt, everyone can do something. We encourage every person to find their something!
Achieving permanent sanctuary and healing homes for children and families from hard places.
The foster care system is broken. There’s no denying it. We desperately need Child Placing Agencies that work to heal and support the children in care, the foster families, and the child welfare system overall. The Sanctuary offers this kind of hope and healing to the children in our community, as well as the tools to equip an army of foster parents who understand the challenges and are undaunted in their mission to take it on.
Statistics don’t lie. A study in Texas showed that by 24 years of age, almost 40% of former foster kids have been homeless at some point and 50% had been "couch surfing" since leaving care. A study in Pennsylvania found that over 90% of foster youth who move more than four times will end up in juvenile justice. 88% of the reported runaways who were victims of child sex trafficking were in the care of social services when they went missing.