Creativity + Justice = The Family Room! This might not be a normal math equation, but I promise, it works.
When I first heard about The Family Room from my church, Table Community, I was working as an advocate for youth and young adults who had been trafficked in the Portland metro area. During my time there, I encountered many “systems” that children and families were navigating—education, healthcare, justice, social services. While I understand the need for these systems, it was undoubtedly a challenge to traverse them amidst trauma, challenges, and discouragement.
The Family Room felt like a breath of fresh air! An organization that understood the complexity of these systems but offered a solution full of creativity, imagination, and hope.
Limited hours of supervision? Great, let’s provide some more! Visitation settings that feel a bit rigid? Not a problem, let’s partner with churches for a cozier, comfier setting! Parents need opportunities to practice parenting skills? Awesome, we’ll provide volunteers to encourage, advocate, and model positive parenting approaches.
Rather than disparaging the child welfare system, TFR comes alongside as a community resource, offering hope to the families involved and options for burdened caseworkers.
Sometimes, when things feel overwhelming, we just need a little creativity and imagination to see the problem from another lens. I am so honored to now be on the board of The Family Room, not only to continue to champion the mission to increase the likelihood that children living in foster care can be successfully reunited with their birth parents, but also to be a part of an organization that is seeking the flourishing of families & communities through creative, hope-filled, justice-centered means.
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