As One: 4 Real Examples of How Collaboration Creates Change
On any given day, thousands of Houston’s children are in foster care. Many more are at risk of entering foster care due to abuse, neglect, and/or family instability. On behalf of these children and their families, The Riverside Project brings together various organizations and individuals, working AS ONE to see children heal and families thrive.
We’ve learned that it’s only when we all come together that we can begin to make a lasting difference around our city.
In our brand new documentary series, As One, we brought together people representing agencies, attorneys, families, churches, and community partners to tell some amazing stories that have happened when we work together. (You can see the full documentary right here.)
These four stories are powerful illustrations of how collaboration leads to change! Take a moment to watch:
#1: Hope
Foster Care Advocacy Center, Chosen Care, and Presbyterian Children’s Homes provide support for the Gray family as they welcome two young boys into their family.
After a tragic homicide, two young boys were placed in a shelter. At the end of the maximum 90-day stay, there was no place for them to go. That’s when Tara Green, Foster Care Advocacy Center, reached out to The Riverside Project for help. These children deserved the stability of a family after experiencing so much hardship.
The Gray family was the first to come to mind. Initially, they were cautious about bringing children with so much trauma and difficulty into their home, as they already had several children who were adopted out of foster care. In praying and discussing it with their children, their children asked, Why wouldn’t we give them the opportunity to experience what we have experienced?
With the community support of Presbyterian Children’s Home and Chosen Care, the children were moved in with the Gray family. It wasn’t easy but with everyone working together to support, care, and provide security for these children, they were able to succeed. While one person may not be strong enough on their own, it’s when we come together through collaboration that we can make a lasting difference.
#2: Collaboration
Harvest Time Church and Northside Christian Church serve a young mother who recently aged out of the foster care system and is navigating living on her own in a new apartment.
At the time, Miss West was a 19-year-old who had recently aged out of the foster care system. She had a 7-month-old and moved into an apartment with nothing but an air mattress.
Just as it is important to support children and families who are actively impacted by foster care, it’s also important to pursue upstream efforts to help prevent circumstances that would lead to children entering the foster care system in the first place. So when we became aware of this situation, we knew we were called as a community to step in and support.
That’s when Harvest Time Church and Northside Christian Church stepped up to furnish the apartment and support this first-time mom. One small action sparked others to step up and meet tangible needs to help this mom thrive!
#3: Dignity
Sojourn Southside Church and The Houston Furniture Bank care for a previously houseless mother with five children, helping her furnish her new home and provide needed assistance.
This is an instance where a church brought a need to The Riverside Project rather than the other way around. A mother of five was houseless with nothing but a sofa in her home.
That’s when The Riverside Project was able to connect The Houston Furniture Bank with Sojourn Southside Church to meet this mom’s needs and provide them a place to rest in their home as a family. What a powerful story of connection!
#4: Resiliency
Family Promise of Lake Houston, The Grigg Family, and Colleen McKnight provide stability, family, and hope for Arielle, a youth experiencing many challenges including homelessness.
As a 16-year-old, Arielle was working 30 hours each week and seeking help to get to and from her jobs. She had already faced homelessness along with her mother, but this was the first time facing homelessness by herself. Arielle’s dream of graduating from high school was a daily struggle while caring for her little brother.
The day she had reached out for help from Family Promise of Lake Houston, a program she and her mother had been at before, the Grigg family was contacted about the possibility of helping by providing a roof over her head and getting her to and from school.
Colleen McKnight, an attorney and The Riverside Project Board President, was able to help navigate the legal documents required for Arielle to become emancipated in order to receive immediate care and support from the Grigg family.
Eventually, Tiffany Venekamp who had known of Arielle through her work at Family Promise and had been helping provide transportation to and from school, provided a place for her to stay after the Grigg Family. So much was at work because the right people stepped in to offer hope and help. Today, Arielle has been officially adopted by Tiffany and her husband and is experiencing a life where she is thriving!
Arielle is on an amazing path to success because of her drive and the numerous people who collaborated and worked together to provide for her each step of the way.
In all of these stories, we see that if there is a need, there can always be a solution. Collaboration creates change.
Imagine that each of us has a small piece of thread made up of our skills, connections, care, and passion. On its own, this thread is not powerful enough to lift up a community or perhaps even to help one family. But whenever one thread meets up with others, we can create a web of safety and support for vulnerable children and families throughout our community.
Each of us has a role to play, and each of our roles matter deeply. Together, we can make a difference.
How can you step in?
Where is your place along the river? Whether it’s pursuing education through our resources, finding a place to serve, or giving to make this work possible, collaboration can create change.
