District Of Columbia One Church One Child, Inc.

Causes: Adoption, Children & Youth, Family Services, Foster Care, Human Services

Mission: The District of Columbia is facing a crisis. Over the past ten years, there has been an alarming increase in the number of abused and neglected children entering the foster care system. At the same time budget cuts have limited the District government's ability to meet the needs of this growing number of displaced children. The purpose of this request is to offer you the opportunity to fund the District of Columbia One Church, One Child, an adoption recruitment project designed to find adoptive and foster homes for children in the District of Columbia. In 1988, the District of Columbia One Church, One Child (DC OCOC) project was founded as a 501(c)(3) organization by the Far Northeast Ministerial Alliance, a local association of pastors whose churches were located in northeast DC. The mission of DC OCOC is to promote the adoption of African-American children through communities of faith in the Washington metropolitan area. - Currently, there are more than 3,300 children in the District of Columbia's foster care system. As a result of the Adoption and Safe Families Act of 1997, more than 800 children will become available for adoption in the next 2 = years. - The majority of the children in the foster care system are considered special needs. The term "special needs" is used to describe children who have emotional, physical or mental disabilities; are over the age of five; have been diagnosed with developmental delays due to abuse, neglect, or abandonment; are members of a racial minority; or are members of a birth or assembled sibling group. These children are difficult to place in adoptive homes. DC OCOC was created to connect African-American children with families. In order for this to happen additional resources must be tapped and faith-based communities such as African-American churches must be enlisted. District of Columbia One Church, One Child recognizes the untapped strengths of African-American families and the resources that are available in African-American communities of faith. The project seeks to help fill the void in identifying African-American families for adoption and foster care by collaborating with Child and Family Services, the public child welfare agency, to recruit adoptive and foster families through the citys faith communities. Since 1997, DC OCOC has contracted with the city government and has expanded the Board of Directors to include representatives from the faith community, adoptive parents, adoptees, and local business leaders. For nearly three years, DC OCOC has educated the community and local clergy about the need for adoptive and foster families and has established working partnerships with 40 churches. As a result of these efforts twelve children have been placed in loving homes. In addition to recruiting adoptive and foster families, DC One Church One Child also provides follow-up services for families. The decision to adopt or foster a child is only the beginning of a substantial life change. Often, new families need support during a period of adjustment. DC OCOC works with The Consortium for Child Welfare, an organization representing more than 25 local child welfare agencies, and The Center for Adoption Support and Education (C.A.S.E.), a non-profit agency that offers on-going post-adoptive services to families. These linkages help One Church One Child make post-adoptive and foster care resources, workshops, and support groups available to new families. The organization has also implemented the Innovative Adoptive Methods (I AM) Project, a project that involves older children awaiting placement in youth activities and initiatives sponsored by faith communities. A main component of the project is a one-act play, which educates the community about the issue of adoption. Although, the District of Columbia One Church, One Child recognizes the untapped strengths of families and resources that are available in communities of faith. The primary goal of DC OCOC is to identify and recruit families who will adopt African-American children.