El Dorado Mayor Veronica Smith-Creer and Union County Judge Mike Loftin have proclaimed that May is Foster Care Awareness Month.
At a small ceremony outside the county courthouse Wednesday afternoon, the two officials gathered with local Department of Human Services employees, The CALL Union County Coordinator Karen Hicks and foster parents and children to make the announcement.
Foster care is a temporary placement of children with families other than their biological ones.
Joined on the courthouse steps by Carmen and John-Luke Bennett, Lily Langston and Lyric Brown, Smith-Creer read statistics about the number of children in Union County impacted by the foster care system.
"There are 54 children in foster care in Union County. These children could be sitting next to your children in school, riding bikes in your neighborhood, walking down the aisle at your grocery store or sharing the pew at your church," Smith-Creer said, as the children held signs highlighting key stats. "These children, through no fault of their own, have been separated from all that they know."
WATCH: Mayor shares key foster care stats
Hicks said that in Union County, there are fewer than eight regular foster homes available to the 54 children currently in foster care.
"If a child came into foster care tonight -- reminder, through no fault of their own -- they could not stay in Union County," she said, adding that sometimes children are sent as far away as Pulaski County or Fort Smith.
The CALL is a statewide nonprofit organization that works to mobilize churches to serve children in the foster care system.
Hicks said that in addition to fostering children, church members can also donate money or goods like clothing, diapers, toiletries and cleaning supplies; volunteer and help keep the CALL Mall, which provides resources to foster families and children, organized; and provide meals, gas cards and gift cards to foster families.
"There is no gray area when it comes to the call of Christ," Hicks said. "Right now, something is happening in our backyard to a child that will bring them into foster care."
She also highlighted the role of DHS employees, who help families navigate the foster care system. She noted that the primary goal in cases where children are separated from their parents is reunification, which DHS employees can help families achieve.
"The CALL works within the Christian community to remove the obstacles so these ladies (DHS employees) can do their jobs," she said.
Smith-Creer said there are more than 200 churches in Union County, with approximately 20,000 Christian families, "yet we struggle to find foster homes."
"Because every child has a promise, and every person has a role, everyone can do something. The reality is tragic; the answer is clear. Every church has a part, every family has a piece, every person has a purpose and every child has a promise," she said.
Marianne Bennett, a member of First Assembly of God El Dorado, said she's been fostering children for about three years.
"My two biological children are grown and I just didn't think God was done with me," she said.
Bennett has adopted two of the children she fostered and is currently fostering two more. She said the experience has been life-changing for her.
"You're choosing to get attached... You know the end you pray for is for them to be reunited (with their biological families)," she said. "It's hard, it's challenging, but it's rewarding."
Loftin read the proclamation, which outlines the need for families for children, children's inherent value and the local resources available for foster children and families, Wednesday afternoon.
WATCH: County Judge declares May to be Foster Care Awareness Month
Next to him, on the east side of the courthouse, there is a QR code that can be scanned with a mobile device. The code will take the person who scanned it to The CALL's website, where they can learn about volunteer opportunities or ways to become a foster parent.
For more information about The CALL, visit thecallinarkansas.org/union-calhoun or facebook.com/thecallinunionandcalhouncounties. To make a monetary donation, text "Uniongives" to 41444.
One other thing The CALL and local foster families can always use, Hicks said, is prayer.
