Supporting families
within the child welfare system
What We Do
Our heart is to support families and children within the child welfare system.
This includes foster, adoptive, kinship caregivers, and reunified families.
Children's Lantern works diligently to provide tangible and needed resources to the families we serve, as well as providing support by way of connecting with children and caregivers through activities, events, and emotional support on a continual basis.
This includes foster, adoptive, kinship caregivers, and reunified families.
Children's Lantern works diligently to provide tangible and needed resources to the families we serve, as well as providing support by way of connecting with children and caregivers through activities, events, and emotional support on a continual basis.
Hope House Boutique
Being a foster, adoptive, or kinship caregiver can be overwhelming at times. We understand the demands on time, money, and resources can be great when caring for children in the welfare system. Children's Lantern provides items free of charge through our Hope House Boutique.
At Hope House Boutique, youth & their caregivers are encouraged to shop for needed items which may include new pajamas, shoes, socks, underwear, diapers/wipes, hygiene items, and gently used or new seasonal clothing. Through our boutique-themed setup, we aim to boost a child's confidence & self esteem as they "shop" for the essentials in a quiet and welcoming environment. We strive to let our children know they are so loved, cared for, and known.
Have an emergency placement or just not able to come up and shop? We understand! Contact Abbie with your current needs and she will gather available items and arrange for pickup.
We also host an annual Back to School Bash where children receive new backpacks, school supplies, shoes, and haircuts - absolutely free.
In the event that we are not able to fulfill a request for crucial clothing/hygiene items, we are able to give out gift cards on an as-needed basis.
We are blessed to be able to fulfill needs for weighted blankets for children with sensory or trauma-related needs. An online application can be found by clicking here.
*If you are a caregiver with a needs request, please fill out the form below!*
Being a foster, adoptive, or kinship caregiver can be overwhelming at times. We understand the demands on time, money, and resources can be great when caring for children in the welfare system. Children's Lantern provides items free of charge through our Hope House Boutique.
At Hope House Boutique, youth & their caregivers are encouraged to shop for needed items which may include new pajamas, shoes, socks, underwear, diapers/wipes, hygiene items, and gently used or new seasonal clothing. Through our boutique-themed setup, we aim to boost a child's confidence & self esteem as they "shop" for the essentials in a quiet and welcoming environment. We strive to let our children know they are so loved, cared for, and known.
Have an emergency placement or just not able to come up and shop? We understand! Contact Abbie with your current needs and she will gather available items and arrange for pickup.
We also host an annual Back to School Bash where children receive new backpacks, school supplies, shoes, and haircuts - absolutely free.
In the event that we are not able to fulfill a request for crucial clothing/hygiene items, we are able to give out gift cards on an as-needed basis.
We are blessed to be able to fulfill needs for weighted blankets for children with sensory or trauma-related needs. An online application can be found by clicking here.
*If you are a caregiver with a needs request, please fill out the form below!*
What You Can Do
- Donate new items for our Hope House Boutique:
-Socks and underwear, all sizes
-Diapers and pull-ups
-Hygiene items, full size bottles
-New clothing, all sizes, seasonal
- Organize a collection for the items above.
- Ask your church or place of employment to support the foster care program with a $50/month donation.
- Consider becoming a monthly sponsor. We are able to serve because of monthly monetary support. To give, click here.
- Volunteer with us! For the volunteer sign up, click here.
The Stats
- There are over 15,500 kids in care in the state of Ohio an a daily basis. This number increases every year.
- In the United States, a child enters care about every two minutes.
- There are 2,500 kids in Ohio waiting to be adopted from foster care.
- Within the first year, 30-50% of foster parents will quit fostering. This is in large part due to lack of needed support.
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Meet Abbie Phillips, Family Care CoordinatorHello! My name is Abbie Phillips. I am the Family Care Coordinator here at Children’s Lantern. Family Care is near and dear to my heart for a few reasons. I have been a foster parent since 2015, and have cared for over 20 children and counting. Some children stay for a few days and some for a few months..and 3 will stay with me forever because of adoption. Previous to accepting this job position, I was on the receiving end of Children’s Lantern. They have provided my foster children with basic necessities such as new pajamas and clothes, shoes, socks, undies and toiletries. As a foster and adoptive parent, every little bit of support helps- and Children’s Lantern has been a tremendous support to our foster care community.
Now, I get to be on the giving end of Children’s Lantern. I get to come along side of foster and adoptive families and support them in whatever ways I can, because of the work we do at Children’s Lantern. Children’s Lantern provides more than clothing and toiletry items to foster children. We have and are continuing to build a supportive foster care community who thrives on connection and becoming a village to children in our local child welfare system. I am so thankful for the work we do here at Children’s Lantern because foster families, adoptive families, and the children we serve in our local area truly deserve all the support that our incredible community can offer. I encourage you to contact me at familycare@childrenslantern if you would like to learn more about how you can join us in our efforts of reaching “the least of these”. |