COLUMBUS, Ohio, April 13, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- One More Child today announced a new partnership with the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio (SCBO) and the Florida Baptist Convention to expand foster care, family support and anti-trafficking services throughout the state.
With more than 25,700 children in Ohio’s foster care system, there is a critical need to recruit more foster families who can provide a loving home for vulnerable children. As a leading foster care licensing organization, One More Child is working alongside the SCBO, the Christ Foundation, and other partners to provide foster family licensing and support services in Ohio.
“There’s an urgent need for more licensed foster families in Ohio and throughout the country,” said Dr. Jerry Haag, president and CEO of One More Child. “Through this partnership with the SCBO, we have an incredible opportunity to bring light to children who are alone and hurting.”
One More Child, a global ministry that began in 1904 in Florida, goes beyond serving children within the child welfare system. Its programs are also designed to prevent kids from entering foster care by helping struggling families, especially single moms.
With 17 percent of Ohio's population being a single parent household, One More Child is launching a Single Moms Community Program based on the successful outcomes of its Single Moms Program in other parts of the country.
Single mothers willing to participate are given access to tangible resources and assigned mentors to help improve their parenting and life skills with the understanding that God loves them deeply and has a special plan for their life. They will also be provided with lessons on budgeting, resume building and other skills to lead them towards social mobility.
Another focus of this partnership is to help and serve survivors of child sex-trafficking. One More Child is launching an Anti-Trafficking Mobile Team in Ohio, which will offer resources, clinical services and provide a mentor to those who have experienced the horrors of human trafficking. One More Child’s mobile team model has been effective in Florida and has expanded to other states, including North Carolina and Tennessee. Team members walk alongside children, teens and young adults, helping them navigate the journey to emotional, physical and mental recovery.
"I am thrilled about our new partnership and expanding the influence of One More Child across the Buckeye State,” said Dr. Jeremy Westbrook, executive director of the State Convention of Baptists in Ohio. “This partnership will serve as a platform to help equip our local churches and families to care for and reach one more child in their communities.”
About One More Child:
One More Child has provided Christ-centered services to vulnerable children and struggling families for nearly 120 years. Beginning in 1904 as the Florida Baptist Orphanage, One More Child today operates in more than 50 locations in 15 countries around the world to meet the needs of foster children, single moms, hungry children, struggling families and sex trafficked children and teens. In 2022, One More Child directly served 236,492 children and families, equipped 237,501 individuals through advocacy, training, awareness, and volunteering and provided 14,129,605 meals. For more information, visit www.onemorechild.org.
