What does it look like when a community comes together for a cause?
It looks like one person after another picking up huge amounts of laundry and washing it so a foster family can take home clean clothes.
It looks like parents and kids spending their Christmas Eve organizing a warehouse full of toys, furniture, and clothing.
It looks like someone buying a bed for a foster family in need while someone else buys a car seat and yet another person buys a stroller.
It looks like our amazing community of Navarre and Gulf Breeze answering the call!
The Gulf Coast Foster Bridge has been overwhelmingly blessed by all of you who served and donated in so many ways. And our local foster families have been blessed because of you! Keep up the good work!
Foster Parent 411
The Foster Bridge will now be open the following hours:
· Tues: 10am-12pm
· Wed: 10am-12pm, 3-5pm
· Fri: 10am-12pm
· Sat: 2-4pm (closed Feb. 8)
If you are in need of something outside of those hours, please message our Facebook page and we’ll do our best to accommodate you!
We’d love for you to come see us during our open hours and take whatever you need for your family. All items are free.
We’re also planning another Open House for February 16th! Come visit, grab some items for your family, and enjoy tasty treats!
If you’re in need of anything we don’t currently stock at the Foster Bridge, please reply to this email or reach out to a board member and we’ll work on that.
We’re also starting a Foster Parent Support Group next month! It will meet biweekly, starting February 10th, from 6-8pm at our building. (8418 East Bay Blvd., Navarre) Childcare will be provided! If you’d like to attend, please text Tanya at (850) 384-8652.
We have a tutor coming on board as well. Victoria Washington with Mountain Top Tutoring is offering FREE tutoring to foster children at the Foster Bridge. You can get in touch with Victoria at (850) 565-1061. Please take advantage of this wonderful resource for your foster kids! (Mountaintoptutoring.com)
Volunteer 411
We love our volunteers! We’re so grateful for everyone who helped us, especially in December with all of the laundry and organization of our new building.
You are welcome to come volunteer at the building anytime we are open. (See hours above.)
We are also in need of volunteers to babysit during our Foster Parent Support Group meetings. These meetings will take place at our building, (8418 East Bay Blvd., Navarre), from 6-8pm, biweekly starting Feb. 10th. Please let us know ASAP if you can help with this!
(We sign off on high school volunteer hours!)
We also have volunteer opportunities for Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, and school clubs and organizations. Please get in touch with us if you’d like to set something up.
Please take a look at our 2020 Vision and let us know if you feel called to help in any of these areas. Reply to this email, send us a message on Facebook, or contact a board member.
2020 Vision for The Foster Bridge
God has given us a big vision for the future! Here’s a look at what we’re adding this year:
· Foster Parent Licensing Classes
· Foster Teen Life Skills Classes
· Foster Parenting Classes
· Parents’ Night Out
· Ethnic Hair Care Classes
· Big Brother/Sister Mentoring Program
· Monthly Foster Family Open House
· Foster Parent Support Groups
· Foster Parent Continuing Education
Donations We Accept:
· New & gently used clothing
· Baby items
· Diapers & wipes (Pampers or Huggies)
· Beds and cribs
· Car seats and strollers
· New socks and undies
· New toys
· New toiletries
· New cleaning supplies
· New laundry supplies
Currently in need of:
· Diapers & wipes (Pampers or Huggies)
· Laundry detergent
Monetary Donations can be made by clicking here!
Answering the Call…
Above all else, we desperately need more foster families. If something is stirring in your heart, we pray you’ll see that you won’t go on this journey alone.
We have a generous and loving community who wants to help you when you say “yes” to a child in need.
Hundreds of children from this area are being shipped 8-10 hours away because there aren’t enough foster homes here.
Could you be the next family to open their hearts and their homes to a child who’s been neglected and/or abandoned?
If you’re feeling that stirring in your heart, consider attending the upcoming classes at Liberty Church - Gulf Breeze.
They are holding free Foster Family Training Classes Feb.11 - Apr. 14, with a break for Spring Break. CHILDCARE is provided! Classes are from 6-9pm at the church, located at 6006 Gulf Breeze Pkwy. Text the word GROUPS to 41400 and click on “Foster Parenting Classes” for the link to register.
‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’ -Matthew 25:40
If you ever have any questions about what we do or how you can get involved, feel free to email us at this address, send us a message on Facebook, or contact a board member! You can even just stop by when we’re open. We’d love to chat with you!
-Gulf Coast Foster Bridge Board
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