Category: Featured Posts

Family Resource Center Hosts Free Oil Change Event

Christ’s Haven’s Family Resource Center recently teamed up with students from the Keller Center for Advanced Learning (KCAL) Automotive Program to host an event that offered free oil changes to some of our FRC families.

Thank you to the AutoZone, located on Main St. and Keller Pkwy., for providing servicing supplies.

But this wasn’t just about getting free car maintenance; it was about community collaboration and providing a learning opportunity for students enrolled in the KCAL automotive program. Students got hands-on experience in servicing vehicles, applying their classroom knowledge.

The FRC was created to stand in the gap for families in need. It was a great day supporting FRC families and giving local students real world experience.

Christ’s Haven’s Child Abuse Prevention Month Art Installation

In honor of Child Abuse Prevention Month in April, Christ’s Haven partnered with the Keller Police Department with an art installation of 481 blue pinwheels in honor of the 481 victims of child abuse in Tarrant County each month.

The following community leaders came together and shared a brief program about the importance of child abuse prevention:

Cassie McQuitty, Christ’s Haven, CEO
Will Brockmoller, Keller Police Department, Detective
Misty Gann, Keller ISD, Social Worker
Armin Mizani, City of Keller, Mayor

At Christ’s Haven, we want to stand in the gap for families in need. That means preventing child abuse by supporting families with our Family Resource Center utilizing these Protective Factors:

Parental resilience
Nurturing & attachment
Knowledge of parenting & child development
Concrete support in times of need
Social connections
Social-emotional competence of children

If you suspect abuse, please call the TX Abuse Hotline at 1-800-252-5400. We know all families go through challenging times. The Christ’s Haven Family Resource Center is here to help: christshaven.org/frc

Christ’s Haven Resale Shop Ribbon Cutting

It was an exciting day at the Christ’s Haven Resale Shop Ribbon Cutting celebrating the recent renovations. Thank you to the generosity of the Keller Neighborly, spearheaded by Jay Bunte and Ashley Gosnell, for the community fundraising efforts to make these renovations happen.

When gently used household items are donated to the Christ’s Haven Resale Shop, donors are supporting the mission in two ways. Houseparents are able to utilize the items needed for the youth living in our neighborhood of homes. If not needed, donated items are sold at the Resale Shop and all proceeds go directly to fund Christ’s Haven operating expenses.

Every donated item adds up. Since the store opened in 1996, sales from donated items have brought in $12 million in revenue to support youth living at Christ’s Haven. We are grateful for how this store serves so many at Christ’s Haven and in the community.

3rd annual Professional Meet & Greet

Christ's Haven hosts 30 professionals for networking opportunity for teens & young adults

The Christ’s Haven Professional Meet & Greet has become one of our favorite events. We hosted 30 professionals from a variety of industries and job roles to meet the teenagers and young adults at Christ’s Haven along with local foster youth.

Providing introductions and exposure to what different career paths can look like is an example of our Core Value of Hope for a bright future.

Thank you to all of the professionals from the following companies for giving your time, sharing your expertise, and providing Hope.

GCS Moms League: The Great Gala

Krista Rice, President of GCS Moms League, was recently inside one of the houses in Christ’s Haven’s neighborhood of homes and shared about the partnership between the two organizations, including the April 6 fundraiser, The Great Gala.

Cassie McQuitty, Christ’s Haven CEO, also shared about how the funds raised will make an impact providing Normalcy, Dignity, & Hope in the lives of displaced youth.

Thank you again to GCS Moms League for selecting Christ’s Haven as your beneficiary and for the year-round partnership supporting our mission.
For more information on how you can support Christ’s Haven while enjoying a night filled with dazzling performances, delectable cuisine, and captivating company, visit: https://www.gcsmomsleague.org/the-great-gala

Christ’s Haven: Advanced Screening Volunteering

Learn about volunteering at christ's haven

Christ’s Haven recently hosted an online Info Session about advanced screening volunteer opportunities.

You can watch the video recording about our trauma-informed model of care and how you can help care directly for youth at Christ’s Haven with our advanced screening volunteering:

Mentors
House Sponsors
Babysitters
Back-Up Caregivers

You can also download a PDF of an overview of the advanced screening volunteer opportunities HERE.

Family Resource Center: 2023 Christmas Gift Giving Event

'Tis the season for giving

What a day! Thanks to incredible donors and volunteers, 70+ local families from Christ’s Haven’s Family Resource Center were able to select Christmas gifts for 200+ kids earlier this week.🎁

The purpose of our FRC is to stand in the gap and help keep families together. It was such a great day of generosity and Christmas joy at Christ’s Haven. Thank you to everyone who helped make it happen.🎄✨ #ChristsHavenChristmas #StandInTheGap #NormalcyDignityHope

What is Relational Permanency & Why Does it Matter?

By Cassie McQuitty, Christ’s Haven CEO

At Christ’s Haven, we care for the whole child. Our approach includes more than just food & shelter but also making sure a child’s physical, emotional, academic, and spiritual needs are met. Part of that includes surrounding each child with a network of support both at Christ’s Haven and in our community.

Relational permanency, rather than just legal permanency, is gaining traction in foster care after the results of a study of long-term outcomes for youth who transition out of the state foster care system. The Texas Youth Permanency Study (TYPS), published by the Texas Institute for Child & Family Wellbeing at the University of Texas at Austin, recommendations were, “The foster care system must redefine success around child wellbeing, specifically three interdependent factors: strong relationships with adults, a sense of normalcy and crucial life skills.”

This study underscores the importance of Christ’s Haven’s core values of Normalcy, Dignity and Hope. Ensuring that the children and families we serve have trusted adults in their lives through houseparents, mentors, and community volunteers is critical to every aspect of our program.

“Who would you call if you needed to borrow $100? Who would you turn to for a second set of eyes on your resume, or to help you navigate buying your first car?” These examples from the TYPS report get to the heart of relational permanency or the presence of supportive relationships with caring adults.

As part of our regular check-ins with teens & young adults at Christ’s Haven using the Casey Life Skills Assessment, we asked “Do you have a trusted adult you can call in crisis?” Of the young adults in the Supervised Independent Living Program at Christ’s Haven, 90% answered yes, and 10% answered mostly yes. We believe that is a critical aspect to relational permanency.

When it came to participants’ emotional wellbeing, TYPS found that relational permanency mattered far more than legal permanency. It didn’t matter where they landed, legally speaking, so long as they had trusted adults by their side. At Christ’s Haven, we are committed to relational permanency for all of the youth we serve. We believe in surrounding them with strong and stable relationships that will follow them beyond their time at Christ’s Haven.

If you are interested in learning more about mentorship at Christ’s Haven, email Dan@Christshaven.org

Christ’s Haven: Normalcy, Dignity, Hope

Learn more about Christ's Haven

Christ’s Haven For Children is a nonprofit organization centered around the core values of normalcy, dignity, and hope. We provide a trauma-informed, family model of care for displaced children, teens, and young adults.

As a voluntary placement organization, we are an option outside of traditional foster care, often when a caregiver has exhausted all efforts to care for a child. Whether a child is with us for six months or sixteen years, we utilize that time loving them as our own and instilling normalcy, dignity, and hope into their lives.

North Texas Giving Day 2023

Thank you to everyone who donated today and supported Christ’s Haven showing that you believe in Normalcy, Dignity, & Hope for all children. We exceeded our goal and raised an incredible $46,765.23!

Thank you for your support and generosity helping provide Christ’s Haven’s trauma-informed, family model of care for children, teens, and young adults now and for years to come.