Andrew & Lindsay Crust - Founders of Courageous Love
A "one-stop-shop" warehouse providing essential items like furniture, clothing, and baby supplies to foster families at no cost. This necessary resource offers financial support that foster agencies often cannot provide due to the lack of resources and donations. By offering items necessary for foster families, this service brings forth a sense of community support when resources are needed at all times of the day.
A child care assistance service that helps foster families cover child care costs. This significant financial service has begun to diminish from being provided through the State of Colorado, and many foster families already struggle with financial support. If the economic burden of daycare or before/after school care falls onto foster families, it will validate the feelings of lack of support and isolation.
A respite care program that offers foster parents short-term relief by connecting them with vetted community members. It is a phone hotline that foster families can call to seek help. Our respite care program assists with mitigating burnout by providing immediate relief for families needing care on short notice. Courageous Connections aims to provide foster families opportunities to maintain connections with biological children, go on date nights, or attend special events that typically are 8 hours or less.
Professional counseling and chaplaincy services offer emotional and spiritual support to foster parents in crisis. They are described as a "Refuge of Hope" for those in need. Although there are counseling services available for foster kids, there are no current services for foster parents who may be going through crisis, grieving, or dealing with the complex behaviors of foster children who have various forms of trauma. Courageous Counsel aims to provide critical support for foster parents who may need advice, prayer, or encouragement as a lack of emotional or spiritual support is required for longevity. Many foster parents feel they need to be adequately trained to handle the complex behavioral and emotional needs of the children in their care, particularly when fostering older children. The absence of comprehensive, trauma-informed training can leave foster parents feeling unprepared and unequipped. Through Courageous Counsel, foster parents will feel supported, better equipped to handle challenging behaviors and know how to navigate the difficulties of fostering.
A tutoring service providing accessible, high-quality educational support to foster children, helping them achieve academic success. One of the most significant challenges a foster child encounters is the lack of academic support. Most foster children are behind in their education, and the burden falls on the foster parents to help them catch up. Courageous Minds aims to pair vetted volunteer educators to assist children of all ages through personal tutoring programs. These programs will provide students with Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), which will work in partnership with local schools.
A mentor program for teens aging out of the foster system, equipping them with life skills and confidence. Approximately 213 youth age out of Colorado’s foster care system. More than ⅓ of foster youth end up homeless by the age of 19. And by age 19, 29% will be incarcerated. Courageous Mentors provide teens with essential knowledge, coaching, and guidance to mitigate overwhelming circumstances that foster teens experience. We believe that by empowering foster teens with assistance with applying for college, scholarships, and financial aid, learning how to prepare for job interviews, filing taxes, and obtaining necessary resources, we will dramatically redirect the trajectory of these youth. Our mission is to help meet these youth's physical, emotional, and spiritual needs before they age out.
Courageous Getaways is a marriage conference for foster parents. This unique event focuses on reunification, reconnection, and peaceful time away from the demands of fostering life. This faith-based conference will be a highlight for every foster parent as they are offered a weekend away from their children with the intent to provide clarity and specialized training tuned into the needs of fostering while promoting community among foster parents. Courageous Getaways are essential when mitigating burnout and providing critical support for foster parents, as they aim to be a highlight for every foster parent.
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