Thank you so much to everyone who came to our Harvesting Hope event, bid on our online auction and participated in our virtual event! We will be sharing more about how God blessed the event next week!
If you missed it, you can now watch the virtual event on our Web site: https://www.fyiohio.org/harvesting-hope
Here is a message from our executive director's heart:
Nikki Stefanow
We all have a story. My story has led me to something I am most passionate about - rescuing children.
I grew up in a home filled with poverty, dysfunction and abuse. I had an unplanned pregnancy at the age of 17. I know what it’s like to feel hopeless and alone. I don’t want to see any child have to experience the things that I have experienced. That’s why I started volunteering with Family & Youth Initiatives in 2007. FYI’s passion is to rescue children, too.
God has brought this amazing team of people to FYI, each with their own story and passionate hearts to make a difference in the lives of children. They are working every day to rescue them from things like abortion, suicide, unsafe home environments, lack of education, and unhealthy choices with lifelong consequences. One caring adult can empower them to overcome heartbreaking circumstances. But there are so many more children to reach. We can’t do it alone. We need more champions for this cause, especially now.
COVID has magnified these issues, especially for our children. Our kids are losing in all of this!
Stop and think of the stress and anxiety adults are coping with. It’s affecting our mental and emotional health. Now multiply that for the children who can’t understand what is happening. All they know is that everything they were doing can’t be done normally right now, if it can be done at all. School, sports, vacations - everything is being done at home, isolated from friends and support systems.
And for some, even home is not safe. Some homes are filled with neglect, hunger, addiction and abuse. School is often the safest place for them to be. Who is there to listen to them when they are isolated and alone? Who is caring for them and protecting them?
This is why FYI is raising funds and raising champions through events like our Harvesting Hope Night and other future events and donation appeals. We are looking for people who are committed to stand beside parents and kids, offering encouragement and support in a time that they are so desperately needed. There are too many families slipping through the cracks.
Apart from God, we can accomplish nothing. I’m praying and trusting God will bring more champions to the field to meet the needs. Will you join me? If you feel called to help, just call me at (937) 845-0403 or email me at nikki@fyiohio.org.
Learn more about supporting or volunteering with FYI at https://www.fyiohio.org/support-us