It’s All Connected

You may have heard us say it before, but it bears repeating because it’s the driving force behind our why. Where there is poverty of any kind, there are vulnerabilities, and where there are vulnerabilities, there is often exploitation. The work of The No More Foundation rests on serving the vulnerable so that exploitation can be prevented. And it will take all of us, working together, using all of the gifts that God has given us to bring real and lasting solutions to provide help and healing for those in need.

Just recently The No More Team returned to Cambridge Christian School for our 4th year to help host an Outreach Day for the Junior Key Club Students Care For Foster Care Gift Drive. In addition they had invited Tami Kent, our Co-Founder and Executive Director, to speak on the issues facing kids in foster care and the elevated risks for these kids to be lured into human trafficking. It was a powerful couple of days and many students were impacted, but our team walked away equally impacted. In part, because of the story one of the Cambridge Christian Teachers, Mrs. Susan Burton, shared with the students as she was explaining the impact that The No More Foundation has had on her own life.

You see, Susan attended The No More Orphans Experience that was hosted by Bay Hope Church on February 9th, 2014. (Fun fact: It was the 3rd event ever and to date we have now held over 67 events across the nation!) That night, almost 12 years ago, we saw hundreds in attendance and over 65 people responded to the call to care. Susan was one of them.

She started serving where she could, volunteering for events with local organizations that were caring for kids. Soon afterwards, she felt compelled to step into a larger role as an ongoing mentor. One day, a few years later, she approached her sons Zach and Tyler and shared that God was stirring her heart for adoption. As a single Mom, it was important that they make the decision together as a family. After much prayer, and with her boys full support, they became a foster family.

Within a few months, a 17 year old girl was placed in their home. Hers was a very hard and difficult story. Since entering the foster care system she had been in over 30 homes in just 13 short years. (That’s the equivalent of starting over more than 2 times a year, if you’re counting.) She started by staying just on the weekends, and then came to live with them for the summer. Susan and her sons were committed to ensuring that she always knew she was wanted and loved and in 2017 she was adopted and became a part of their family forever. That young girl is now a grown woman… and is now a loving mother to her four beautiful children. Her story is still being written, and Susan’s isn’t finished yet either.

Susan’s passion to care for orphaned and at-risk children in the foster care system is now being multiplied through her students. It was a young woman, Silvana, who was in Mrs. Burton’s Bible Class at Cambridge Christian School who stepped up to start the Care For Foster Care Gift Drive during her Senior year in high school. Even though she’s graduated and attending the University of Tampa, she comes back to speak to the high school students to inspire other students to continue the legacy of generosity she started.

In the past 4 years, over 500 children in the system of care have received Bibles, stuffed animals, blankets, and toys from the students, along with hand-written cards telling them that they are loved, and that their lives matter.

There are some stories, like Susan’s, that catalyze the impact one person’s life can make on the world and the truth that it’s all connected. When we choose to step in to serve, giving what we can with what we have, the ripple effect from our actions will echo for eternity.

These are the words I wrote back in 2014 to all those who had attended The No More Orphans Experience and it’s amazing to see that they ring just as true today as they did almost 11 years ago. This is the heartbeat of The No More Foundation.

We believe we are on the forefront of the next Great Awakening within the church, God is calling us out and we need people whose hearts resonate with the vision and purpose of The No More Foundation to partner with us to help connect us to local churches, schools, businesses, and organizations, to provide financial support, and to pray for us, as we can say without reservation that every part of what we do belongs to God!

We believe the Church is the answer. Not the buildings – the people – each one giving what they can with what they have to be the hands and feet of Jesus. And working together we are bringing God’s love to those who desperately need to know that their lives matter, so that they can find healing and restoration and hope for their future.

“Because of our adoption to the Father, we can approach Him with confidence knowing that He hears us, sees us, and cares for our needs.” – Hebrews 4:16

Will you join us in our mission to see a world where every child finds a loving home, where survivors of human trafficking find unwavering support and shelter, and where the impoverished, both materially and spiritually, experience the boundless love of Christ?

From now through December 31st, every dollar you donate will be doubled, up to $60,000, thanks to a matching gift. This means a $50 donation instantly becomes $100, effectively maximizing the impact of your contribution to help us continue to support struggling families, help orphans and at-risk children in foster care find safe and loving homes, and provide unwavering support and shelter for victims of human trafficking!

With heartfelt thanks,

Co-Founders of The No More Foundation