Searcy (LP) In 2007, a problem was discovered; there were too many foster children and not enough foster families. Fifty percent of children were being moved out of their home county and separated from everything familiar. A small group in Pulaski County decided to take action, and The Call was founded. The Call is a Christian based foster program regulated by the DCFS, Department of Children and Family Services. Their goal is to recruit, train, and support Christian foster families. After the first center opened in Pulaski County, other centers began popping up around the State. Today forty-one out of seventy-five counties in Arkansas have The Call.
The Call in White County opened in 2011. Currently, there are 118 children in foster care, but there are only 30 foster homes. The Call house is located on the property of Union Valley in Beebe, AR. They offer a variety of services to prospective and current foster families. For prospective foster families, they hold information meetings and PRIDE trainings. PRIDE training is the 30-hour program required by DCFS that must be completed before a family can begin to foster.
For families already fostering there are a variety of services available to families and foster children. The Call boutique, located in Beebe, Searcy, and Rosebud, offers clothing, toys, furniture, and other items free of charge, and all items are donated. Foster parents also have access to the lending library, a collection of books and videos to help families and foster children navigate their new life. Children ages 12-21 in foster care have access to tutoring, mentoring, and life skills training, such as learning to cook, balance a budget, write a check, do taxes, and other skills needed for adult life. When foster children need to be hospitalized there is a program called Bedside Angels that provides volunteers willing to sit and play with a child while their foster parents eat, shower, take a nap, go to work, etc. These and other services are provided to families and children by volunteers free of charge.
To help pay for these services, The Call holds fundraiser events throughout the year. This year, they hosted the Sweets for Your Sweetheart Benefit Banquet at the Robbins Sanford Hall in downtown Searcy. They raised money through a silent auction and donation/pledge cards were handed out. The money raised will go to fund things such as their Parents Night Out event that gives foster parents the opportunity to go out alone while volunteers take care of their children.
If you are interested in reaching out to and helping the foster children and families in our community, there are many things you and your family can do. You can sign up to volunteer, donate, or even become a foster family. For more information you can contact Erica Sirratt at esirratt@thecallinarkansas.org or you can check out their website The Call in White County.
