Needs From: United Way of Southwest Michigan

This program pairs foster and adopted youth with local, caring adult volunteers who walk along-side them, providing wisdom, advice, encouragement, and love.

What is mentoring?

Mentoring at MFC is equipping and empowering the youth in our community to be prepared for adult living and to reach their fullest potential. Mentors are equipped with a mentoring handbook covering 9 areas with ideas and worksheets to facilitate conversations about setting goals, support systems, health & nutrition, money management, post-graduation schooling / training, & more.
Why is mentoring youth important?

We all need at least one safe, caring adult in our life! Youth need to be seen, heard, and encouraged to try new things. Mentors walk alongside youth as they navigate through life’s challenges, providing wisdom, advice, encouragement, and community. The investment of a caring adult greatly increases the chances that a child will be successful. This benefits not just the youth but also supports that child's family as a whole.

Who is a mentor?

Mentors are advocates, teachers, guides, role models, valued friends, and available resources. A mentor is a safe, caring adult who is willing to spend time with, listen to, and encourage a youth in the Michiana area. Anyone who is willing to spend time with, listen to, and love a youth would make an excellent mentor!

This program surrounds a family with a group of people who provide monthly encouragement to that family.

What is a care team?

A care team is a group of volunteers who come together once a month to bless a family in our community. The care that the team provides could come in any number of forms! It could be a meal, or babysitting, or gifts, or anything else that would encourage that family.
Why Care Teams?

● Children in Foster Care experience high levels of instability, many of them moving homes frequently. One major factor leading to this high rate of turnover is Foster parents feeling overwhelmed and unsupported.
● Michiana Care Teams work to reduce these problems by matching foster families to a team of volunteers. These loving community members wrap-around the whole family unit providing hope, stability, support, and connections.
Care Team Basics

● This program requires a 1-year commitment.
● Support can look like monthly deliveries, activities, and/or communication.
● Estimated monthly financial commitment for a care team is around $25-30 per family member served. (Example: family of 4 being served would be around $100/month)
● The Care Team leader initiates monthly contact and develops a schedule that works for the Care Team members and the family.
● Monthly Care package drop off or activities can be held anywhere (restaurant, park, ice cream shop, your home, etc.), but will normally be at the family's home.
● The role of the Care Team is to show the children and caregivers that they are important, seen, and loved, as well as provide support emotionally and financially.
Time or Things?

Many families have other needs that don’t fall in material needs realm. We encourage volunteers to consider:

● Paying for an activity, camp, extra-curricular opportunity
● Provide babysitting to allow caregivers a break
● Bring the child(ren) along on a fun family outing

Support groups facilitated via MFC provide emotional and practical encouragement to foster and adoptive parents.

At Michiana Family Center we want to showcase the capabilities of the foster parents already engaged in this difficult, but extremely important and rewarding work. We bring encouragement every meeting and facilitate relationships among foster parents of different amounts of experience. Frequently, guest speakers attend in order to provide real tools these parents can use to help support all the children in their care.

Periodically we have special meetings as events and guidelines allow. Past events have included themes like pool and popsicles and cookouts. Members of all groups are welcome to join and continue to gain community at these events.

MFC has structure in place to support volunteer leaders, so you don't need to come up with the content for the meetings.  You'll be facilitating discussion and communicating any needs you have to MFC.