THE RESTORE NETWORK BRINGS FOSTER CARE SERVICES TO CLINTON, MARION AND WASHINGTON COUNTIES

The Restore Network

618-510-9077

851 E. 2nd St., Centralia, IL

http://www.therestorenetwork.org

Aimed at mobilizing communities to address the needs of the Illinois foster care system, The Restore Network provides assistance to those wishing to foster within their network through education, training, volunteerism and donations.

Jordan Bird, executive director of The Restore Network, said the non-profit organization is currently seeking everyday residents to help make a difference in what he described as a “crisis” in the foster care system.

“We are trying to mobilize everyday people in the community to address the crisis in the foster care system,” said Bird. “We focus on partnering with churches to mobilize their people to either foster, which is our greatest need, and also provide support to those that are fostering by being on volunteer teams.”

“Those teams bring in that extra support through bringing meals and going shopping for clothing and delivering and doing events that provide them with great materials,” Bird continued. “When people join the network [as foster parents] and they take a new placement, we help cover things they might need like mattresses, cribs, beds, car seats, clothing and other necessities.”

Bird said The Restore Network will also work with first-time foster parents, ensuring they have the support and education they need to effectively oversee the care of the child.

“We do general group training, and we also do individual coaching,” Bird explained. “That coaching will help them really dig into the kid’s story and how they can bring healing.”

Bird said that on the national level, 50 percent of parents quit the foster care system within the first year, and that one-third of foster children in Illinois spend time in three or more homes.

Despite those unfortunate statistics, Bird advised The Restore Network boasts far more optimistic numbers.

“The best part about this is that it works,” he said. “We have an eighty-nine-to-ninety percent retention rate for the families that we recruit, which is a huge difference. In addition to that, less than two percent of the children in our network will move [to a new home] or even one time. This need is out there, and we can all do something. We just need more families.”

Shae Campanella, who oversees The Restore Network’s operations in Clinton, Marion and Washington counties, said The Restore Network is now up and running in their new office space within City Hope Church in Centralia, and has already started to get connected with local churches in the area.

Campanella said the best way for community members to get involved is to visit the Restore Network’s website, where one may apply for a certain ministry team or register to participate in educational workshops about the network.

“Visiting our website is a great way to get involved, and it’s the best way to contact us,” said Campanella. “We also have what is called a 101 Workshop, which is a virtual meeting where people can get a lot of information about us. They can learn about The Restore Network and what it means to be a foster parent and about the volunteer aspect and the ways that they can get involved. It’s a really good first step.”

Campanella, a foster parent of a sibling family of five, said she hopes to see her coverage area get involved, so that the children in those communities can stay local.

“There are over 300 kids in these three counties that are in care, and there may be 200 homes [locally]. That tells us some of these kids are going to Carbondale or St. Louis or Chicago,” Campanella explained. “So, not only is that child having to go to a new school, but also to a new community with all new people. That just adds a new trauma piece for them, and that’s why its so important that we get people involved here in our community.”

The Restore Network was founded in Alton, Illinois and currently covers 17 counties within the state. The organization has been in operation since 2014. 

More information about The Restore Network may be found by visiting the company website.