Bethany Receives $120,000 Grant For Unique Family Ministry

RAPID CITY, S.D., Dec. 23, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- With more than 400,000 children in foster care across the United States, Bethany Christian Services, a leading global adoption, family preservation, and child welfare agency, has been lending a hand to families in crisis in the hopes of keeping kids out of the foster care system through its Safe Families for Children^™ (SFFC) ministry. With SFFC launching last February as a ministry available to the community, The John T. Vucurevich Foundation has awarded Bethany of Rapid City a grant in the amount of $120,000 to fund and develop this church-driven, community-supported ministry for three years.

Safe Families for Children is a unique, national movement of compassion that gives hope to families in crisis. Safe, loving homes are provided to children whose parents may voluntarily have them cared for by a volunteer host family while they seek to restore stability in their lives. Founded in 2002, SFFC has partnered with churches, local community agencies, as well as government organizations in more than a dozen states. Bethany has 31 branches throughout the United States involved with the ministry. 

"In Rapid City and throughout Western South Dakota, we invest in systemic approaches to promote independence and prosperity to break the cycle of poverty," said Sandra Diegel, executive director of John T. Vucurevich Foundation, a local private foundation. "With the success of Safe Families for Children program working with local nonprofit, medical and governmental agencies, families in crisis will receive the support they need at a critical time."

The goal of SFFC is to preserve and strengthen the family during crisis and reunite the children with their parents once the crisis has passed. This ministry is fully funded through donations and grants.

"Safe Families is a blessing to families in need," said Vanessa Mader, SFFC Coordinator. "Though this church movement is new to western South Dakota, our call to 'love our neighbor' is not. I can't think of a better way to show love to our neighbors in need."

For more information on Safe Families for Children or any of the programs and services Bethany provides to western South Dakota, visit bethany.org/rapidcity.

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SOURCE Bethany Christian Services

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