The CALL in Union County held a ribbon-cutting ceremony for its new Support Center yesterday, drawing out city and county officials, Department of Human Service representatives and nonprofit volunteers to celebrate the facility's grand opening.
The CALL is a nonprofit organization that works to match local Christian families with foster children and helps provide for the foster families' needs. The organization also provides supplies, support and education for adoptive and foster parents and biological parents working to bring their children back into their homes.
The CALL operates in 50 Arkansas counties and supports children of all ages.
The Support Center has been in the works for nine months, said The CALL's local director Karen Hicks. Hicks said she started praying to find a facility like the Support Center two years ago.
"I'm very overwhelmed, and that's an understatement," she said. "Waking up today with sunshine made me feel like 'OK, we're doing what we're supposed to be doing.'"
The Support Center has already begun to provide support services to the foster families served by The CALL, and the house will be open to families working with DHS in mid-June, Hicks said.
The CALL Mall, where supplies for local foster families, such as clothing, hygiene products, toiletries and toys are stored, is now housed at the Support Center, meaning foster and adoptive families can visit a home-like atmosphere to restock on needed supplies.
"Often, when children come into our care, they come without belongings," Hicks said. "We have the CALL Mall to provide clothing, diapers, whatever they need that the foster family might not be able to provide right away."
Once the home is opened to DHS families, biological parents and children who have been separated will be able to visit at the Support Center. Lillie Revels, a program assistant at DHS, said that will be a relief to the entity, which serves many families.
"This will be great, because we're losing a lot of space at DHS because of the number of kids in foster care," Revels said. "We also have larger families now, so having this extra space will be good for them, too."
Gloria Billings, an area coordinator and family service worker supervisor for DHS, said it will be a relief for families to be able to meet in a home environment.
"I think it makes the biggest difference in the world because you're able to interact like a family. A lot of our families like to cook or bring food — they can do that here," she said. "There's nobody that wants to lose their kids and no kids want to leave home, so if they can get the skills to reunite, that's what we're for. I'm a big believer in family reunification."
There are currently 63 foster children in Union County. Fifteen families in the county have opened their homes to foster children, and 40 children are placed in those 15 homes.
Rexayn Tribble, training coordinator for The CALL, grew up with a foster brother, who was later adopted by her family. In 2015, she and her husband opened their home to foster children and continued to do so through 2018; in that time, they hosted 87 children.
"It's incredible. This is opening up a ton of doors we didn't have before. It's more homey, so people are more comfortable, and so it's opening a lot more conversations," she said of the Support Center. "I also think people who don't necessarily want to foster are now able to see what we do, so that gives people a vision for how they can help without fostering or adopting."
Dr. Sterling Claypoole, CPR and safety coordinator for The CALL, said offering a home environment to families can facilitate their reunification.
"It gives biological families a home environment to come and have visits instead of in an office or a restaurant. It gives them a place to come, cook, sit around the table," he said. "They can't do visits in their homes, they're not going to do visits in foster homes, and a lot of times their visits are in DHS playrooms in the back of the office, so this is a home environment they can meet in. The ultimate goal is to get moms and dads and their children back together. It's a central location, and people in the community can come and support, volunteer, too. They know where to bring stuff, donations. We're talking about a home here."
Hicks noted that the Support Center will be a location for potential volunteers to learn more about how they can help The CALL, whether it be through fostering children, gathering supplies, fundraising or even just helping with paperwork.
The CALL in Union County Support Center is located at 1024 N. Euclid St. in El Dorado. For more information, visit thecallinarkansas.org/union or fb.com/thecallinunioncounty.
Caitlan Butler can be reached at 870-862-6611 or [email protected].