Global Orphan Project:
CarePortal
January 2022 | Written by Lillian Brink, edited by Steve Moberg
Beginning this month, you will likely start hearing about opportunities to get involved with Gashland EPC’s newest charity – CarePortal. It is part of the Global Orphan Project, which is headquartered in Kansas City, and was founded in 2004 by a local businessman, Mike Fox, and his wife Beth.
What is CarePortal?
CarePortal is a tool created by The Global Orphan Project in 2015 to mobilize U.S. churches to care for foster children and vulnerable families in their own backyards. While The GO Project is focused on global outreach, CarePortal connects churches with people who need assistance in their own communities.
CarePortal is a technology-connecting platform that brings the needs of hurting children and families in our community to your attention. Caseworkers at government child welfare agencies or other child-serving organizations are trained by CarePortal to vet needs and upload them in the portal. Every single time a caseworker submits a request on behalf of a child in their community, they will let you know the purpose. Your responses could help achieve goals like: prevent a child from entering foster care, make an adoptive placement or support a youth aging out of foster care.
CarePortal makes local churches and community members aware, giving them a real-time opportunity to respond. Representatives from churches like GEPC can see the needs and connect with other church members to fulfill them. Because the churches themselves address the needs, the body of believers often has the opportunity to meet and form relationships with the local people they are serving.
Since 2015, across the United States, 117,173 children have been served, with a total economic impact of $39,655,146. Over 3,000 church response teams, including 300 in Missouri alone, are currently responding to requests that directly affect the lives of local children and those caring for them.
Image courtesy of: https://www.careportal.org/about-us/
Circles of Care
CarePortal’s mission is to expand the capacity of the local church to care for local children and families in crisis. The Circles of Care is a visualized comparison between two systems of caring for children.
Current Reality:
At the center of the Circles of Care, you see Stanley – a figure used to represent the innocent, vulnerable Child.
In the first ring, the first circle outside of the Child, you see the Family. These are the champions – biological, kin, foster, or adoptive – who care for the Child. Sometimes the Family ends up broken or in need of additional support.
The second ring represents the Church. With the support of our local church partners in the U.S. and around the world, the Family is strengthened and able to provide a healthy, supportive environment for the Child to be raised in
In the third and final ring of the graphic, you will find the Active Community. The givers, buyers, and goers who accelerate the impact. Every time you respond to a need through CarePortal, you are wrapping around countless vulnerable children and their families around the U.S. and the world.
Biblical Model:
This is the biblical model in which God desires a child to be raised in a family, surrounded by a supporting church and community. However, due to brokenness in the world, gaps exist in the care system and children are often separated from their family.
Oftentimes churches don’t know of these struggling children and families, which leaves the church disconnected from those they are called to serve. Community members want to get involved and go around the church, taking the place of the church’s biblical calling to help those in need within the community.
Our Goal: Close the Gaps!
Through CarePortal, connections within the Circles of Care are created around the isolated child. Families, churches, and communities are brought together to create a healthy approach to caring for kids. CarePortal seeks to bridge the gaps between the Church and the Family, keeping the Church as the direct point of care for the Child and Family.
The needs of hurting children and families are brought to the attention of the local church and community members through the caseworkers who uncover the needs. CarePortal then alerts local churches and community members, giving them a real-time opportunity to respond.
The ultimate goal of CarePortal is to care for the child. CarePortal creates connections within the Circles of Care around the isolated child. Families, churches, and communities are brought together to create a healthy approach to caring for kids, with a focus on stabilizing
How Do I Help?
If you are interested in getting involved or finding out more about CarePortal, please email our Outreach Team at outreach@gashland.org and you will be added to an email list to stay up to date on CarePortal requests.