Foster Love Ministries

09/02/2026

Neighbors here are resources for children and staff affected by today’s traumatic events.

❤️Shenandoah Creative Counseling for Children and Adolescents, LLC., is available and offering free counseling. They are located Waynesboro.

Please feel free to reach out to them: 540-471-9022 regarding the tragedy from today’s situation.

❤️Peaceable Life Therapeutic Services in Stuarts Draft, VA is offering students and their families from Westeood Elementary School in Waynesboro free counseling services through Christmas.

You can reach out to them at 540-490-4440. Please leave a message let them know it’s in regards to Westwood.

❤️ARROW Project is here. Whether you need a safe place to process what happened, someone to listen, or help navigating the emotions that may surface in the days ahead, you do not have to carry this alone.

Support is available for you, your family, and our community.

11 Middlebrook Avenue, Staunton, VA 24401
40 Lambert Street, Apartment 321, Staunton, VA 24401
📞 (540) 255-0972
🌐 arrow-project.org

❤️Rooted Counseling Group is offering FREE counseling support to students and school staff and those directly affected by this incident. We are located in Waynesboro and have experience working with children, adolescents, and adults.

If you or someone you know has been affected and would benefit from support, please reach out to us at
540-447-5207. When you call, please let us know it is for the free counseling support.
-Rooted Counseling Group

———-

During this time your child/adolescent/teenager may be affected deeper than what you are seeing on the outside. First of all your uninterrupted presence is essential for everyone. Allowing them space to process this horrible experience is very important and a part of healing.

What it may look like in the days ahead…

Even if a child did not see or hear the frightening events firsthand, experiencing a lockdown, sensing adults’ fear, hearing confusing information, or realizing that something dangerous happened at school can still feel traumatic—especially for elementary-aged children.

In the coming days or weeks, that stress may look like:

• Wanting to stay especially close to a trusted adult
• Fear of returning to school or being separated from family
• Trouble sleeping, nightmares, or new bedtime fears
• Stomachaches, headaches, or feeling sick without a clear cause
• Irritability, anger, crying, or emotional outbursts
• Becoming unusually quiet or withdrawn
• Difficulty concentrating or completing schoolwork
• Repeatedly asking the same questions or talking about what happened
• Recreating the experience through play or drawings
• Returning to behaviors they had previously outgrown
• Being startled by loud noises, alarms, or emergency vehicles

Children do not always have the words to say, “I was scared.” Sometimes their behavior communicates what their hearts cannot yet explain.

Offer simple, honest reassurance: “You are safe with me. The adults are working hard to keep you safe. You can talk to me whenever you are ready.” Maintain familiar routines, limit repeated exposure to news and social media, and allow children to process the experience at their own pace.

Some children may talk immediately. Others may show signs days or even weeks later. There is no single “right” response to something frightening.

Today , let us hold space not only for the children who experienced fear, but also for the teachers, staff members, first responders, and families who carried the enormous weight of keeping them safe and calm while managing their own fear.

Our hearts remain with the entire Westwood Elementary School community. ❤️

Be gentle. Stay connected. Keep listening.

08/26/2026

What an incredible honor it was to be invited to speak at the Rotary Club of Waynesboro–East Augusta about becoming a Foster Love Ministries Community Champion! 💙

Community Champions are local businesses, organizations, and community groups that partner with us to support children and families involved with foster care. They use their unique resources, talents, and connections to help meet practical needs, strengthen families, and remind our neighbors that they are not alone.

Everyone can do something and Community Champions are an important part of that village!

We are so grateful to the Rotary Club of Waynesboro–East Augusta for welcoming us, learning more about this work, and caring so deeply for our community.

Would your business or organization like to become a Community Champion? Message us,
we would love to tell you more! 💙

08/22/2026

So proud of our Foster Love Ministries team members who spent the day at their local Department of Social Services organizing and restocking the Journey Bag room! 💙

Because of their hard work, social workers can now quickly and easily choose an age-appropriate bag when a child enters foster care—often during one of the most difficult and uncertain moments of their life.

Our team’s passion for ensuring every child enters care with dignity, comfort, and belongings of their own is truly unmatched. I am deeply grateful for each person who gives their time and heart to this mission. Foster Love Ministries simply could not be who we are without them.

Everyone can do something and today, this team did something that will make a meaningful difference for so many children. 🧳💛

08/19/2026

🚨 Help Needed for a Mother and Her Two Young Daughters 🚨

A mother recently arrived in our community with her daughters, ages 5 and 8, after fleeing an unsafe domestic situation. They had to leave quickly and were able to bring very few belongings.

This family is working toward safety, stability, and independence, but they need our community to help them get started.

Every donation helps this mother care for her children, maintain employment, and continue rebuilding a safe and independent life. Let’s surround this family with dignity, compassion, and practical support. ❤️

Please use the CarePortal link below to respond:

https://system.careportal.org/request-engagement/requests/319909

Everyone can do something—and together, we can make sure this family does not have to begin again alone.

Help Improve a Child's Wellbeing

08/14/2026

🥹 The SWEETEST Journey Bags were dropped off today! 💛

Just look at these. 🧸 Cozy blankets, stuffed animals, backpacks, and little comfort items all thoughtfully put together for a child entering foster or kinship care.

A Journey Bag may seem simple, but during a removal, when everything familiar has suddenly changed, having something that is theirs can mean so much. A soft blanket to wrap up in. A stuffed animal to hold. A bag filled with things chosen just for them.

We are SO grateful for every person who takes the time to create these bags and love kids in such a tangible way. ❤️

Our BIGGEST need right now is TEEN Journey Bags! 🎒

Our older kids are often the hardest age group to keep stocked, and we would love your help filling that gap. Think cozy blankets, age-appropriate hygiene products, journals, water bottles, activities, comfort items, and things that remind a teenager that someone thought about them.

✨ Want to make a Journey Bag?
Learn more here:
https://www.fosterloveministries.org/journey-bags

Every bag says something incredibly important:

You are seen. You matter. And you are not walking into this alone. 💛

08/14/2026

🚨 URGENT CAREPORTAL REQUEST — HELP US SEND A LOCAL YOUTH TO COLLEGE READY & SUPPORTED! 🎓💙

This one is incredibly special.

A young person in the Harrisonburg-Rockingham DSS 18+ program is preparing to move into the VCU dorms THIS WEEKEND! What an incredible milestone — and an opportunity for our community to surround this student as they take this huge step toward independence. ❤️

Right now, $1,050 is still needed to help provide the dorm and school essentials they need to begin this next chapter.

Needs include:
• Twin XL bedding
• Dorm room essentials
• School supplies
• Gift cards so the student can choose some of their own belongings

For many young adults transitioning from foster care, heading to college doesn’t necessarily come with a car packed full of everything needed for a dorm room — or a family able to make that giant Target run.

But this young person has a community. They have us.

Whether you can give $10, $25, $50, purchase an item, pray, or simply share this request, it all matters. A lot of people doing something small can make sure this student walks onto VCU’s campus knowing an entire community is cheering them on.

🎓 Let’s get this future Ram ready for college! 🐏💛

CarePortal Request: click link https://system.careportal.org/request-engagement/requests/318816

Because connection changes everything — and everyone can do something. 💙

08/12/2026

🍎✏️ Happy First Day of School! 📚💛

This first day feels a little extra emotional for me because I’m sending TWO seniors off for their final first day of high school. 🥹🎓

I’m not quite sure how we got here so quickly. Watching them walk into their senior year, knowing how much growing, learning, overcoming, and becoming has happened along the way,is definitely a full-circle mom moment. One last first day. ❤️

As we begin another school year, may we remember that every child walking into a classroom carries a story with them.

Some are excited. Some are nervous. Some had a wonderful summer. And some experienced hard things no child should have to carry.

Some kids will walk in ready to learn, while others will need to feel safe, seen, and connected before learning can even begin.

To our teachers and school staff: thank you for recognizing that behavior is often communication. Thank you for being curious before critical, offering connection before correction, and remembering that one safe, consistent adult can change the trajectory of a child’s life.

And to our kids, whether today is your very first day of kindergarten or, like my two, your last first day of high school—be brave. Be kind. Ask for help. Look for the kid who might need a friend. And remember that you belong. 💛

Here’s to a school year filled with safe spaces, patient hearts, second chances, trusted adults, meaningful connections, and lots of growth.

Because sometimes the most important thing a child learns at school is:

“I am safe. I am seen. I matter. And someone believes in me.”

Happy first day of school, especially to my two seniors.
Class of 2027, here we go! 🎓❤️😭

08/11/2026

HELP Support Local foster family and TEEN INTO FOSTER CARE ❤️

A local foster family has just opened their home to a 15-year-old girl, and our community has an opportunity to help make this transition a little softer.

She needs some of the basics many of us take for granted—a bed, bedding, pillows, and clothing—so she can walk into her new space and know it was prepared just for her.

Current needs include:

* 🛏️ Twin mattress & bed frame
* 🛌 Twin-size bedding & pillows
* 👚 Junior size 0 clothing
* 🎯 Target gift card so she can choose some clothes and personal items herself

$355 is still needed to fully meet this request.

These may seem like simple things, but to a young person entering foster care, having a comfortable bed and belongings of her own can mean so much. We have the chance to show her from day one that she is seen, valued, and surrounded by a community that cares.

Every gift—big or small—helps us wrap around this foster family and support a stable placement. ❤️

👉 View the CarePortal request & help here:
Help Make a Foster Care Placement — Request #318122⁠

https://system.careportal.org/request-engagement/requests/318122

Please share even if you aren’t able to give. Sometimes sharing is exactly how the right person finds the need.

08/08/2026

🌱 Sometimes loving your neighbor looks like mowing a lawn. 💚

Recently, a CarePortal request went out for a single foster mom who works full-time while caring for children in foster care.

The need was simple: help keep her lawn mowed for the rest of the season.

But what happened next is exactly why we believe so deeply in the power of connection.

Instead of one person or one church carrying the entire need, multiple local churches stepped forward and are working together to cover the lawn care for the remainder of the season.

One church. Then another. And another.

Each simply saying, “We can help.”

For this foster mom, it means one less thing on an already-full plate. One less task waiting for her after a long day of work and caring for her family.

And for us, it is such a beautiful reminder that supporting foster families doesn’t always require doing something huge. Sometimes it is mowing a lawn. Bringing a meal. Delivering a bed. Showing up for an hour.

When we each carry a small piece, we can make the load significantly lighter for someone else.

This is what CarePortal is about.

🤝 Churches working together.
🏡 Families being supported.
❤️ Neighbors loving neighbors in real, tangible ways.

To every church and responder who continues to say YES, thank you.

You may see a lawn that needs mowing.

She gets to feel a community reminding her: You don’t have to carry everything alone.

Because when the Church comes together, even the simplest act of service can make an incredible impact.

EveryoneCanDoSomething

08/03/2026

We are so excited, thank you Greater Augusta Association of Realtors, Inc !

Get ready to raise a little ruckus for two great local causes!

Thursday, September 24, from 5 to 8 p.m. at Red August Farm for REALTORS® Raisin’ a Ruckus, benefiting ComfortCare Women's Health - Staunton and Foster Love Ministries.

Your $50 ticket includes:
Three food trucks
Two dessert trucks
Two drinks
Live music by Alex Arbaugh
An auction featuring great items

Tickets are limited, so purchase yours today!
Use the link below or stop by the GAAR Office!

🎟️ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/1996477377580?aff=oddtdtcreator

(Note: online ticket sales subject to service fee. All ticket sales are final.)

Realtor Ruckus: Enjoy food trucks, dessert, drinks, live music by Alex Arbaugh, and an auction. Limited tickets are available.