Koinonia News
News About Fostering & Adopting
From Fostering Babies to Teens: The Rhodes Family’s Heartfelt Journey
Meet the Rhodes family: Katie, her husband, and their children. The Rhodes have been married for ten years and have been fostering for about seven years. Up until recently, they were a traditional foster home and have had six long-term placements. Their oldest is...
Fostering Hope: One Family’s Story of Creating a Safety Net for Teens in Foster Care
Fostering teens is an urgent need that is often overlooked, despite the fact that older youth represent over 27% of children in foster care. Statistics show that only 56% of teenagers are placed with families, while many age out of the system without ever finding a...
Building Bridges: Emily Smithhart’s Fostering Story of Love for Children and Their Biological Families
At 16 years old, Emily’s journey into foster care began when she started babysitting for a family with biological, adopted, and foster children. This experience showed Emily all the beautiful, messy parts of fostering and sparked her passion for fostering. Emily, her...
A Home Transformed
Like many families waiting for children, Jose and Marina were parents of dogs. Five dogs in fact! While their beautiful home was filled with the joy of canine snuggles and loyal love, their hearts were longing for the joy that only children can bring to a home – the...
Understanding Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is a heartbreaking and mysterious phenomenon that has puzzled medical professionals, parents, and caregivers for many years. As a family service agency, Koinonia holds space for the impact of this tragic occurrence on biological,...
10 Strategies for Preventing Suicide in Your Community
If you’re reading this, chances are you know someone who has thought about, attempted, or lost their life to suicide. As one of the leading causes of death in the United States, suicide is a serious public health concern that affects individuals, families, and...
5 Back-to-School Tips
August is here, which means school is just around the corner! We know the transition from summer back to the school year can be a time full of excitement and emotion. Occasionally it can be a big struggle and adjustment for families, but we are here to support you in...
Richard and Ted’s Foster-to-Adopt Adventure
When Ted and Richard began their relationship, they spent much of the year traveling. They were adventurous and had a very fun lifestyle together, always on the go. Originally they did not have any intentions of having kids because they always had their families’ and...
Embracing Youth Through Respite Care
Jenn and Mechelle came together in June of 2020. Jenn brought her daughter Lishai and Mechelle brought her daughters, Grace and Izzy, joining their beautiful families to create a family of two moms and three girls. Before coming together, both Jenn and Mechelle knew...
10 Tips to Help Your Child Navigate Their Emotions
Navigating emotions is something that everyone struggles with in one way or another. As a parent, you know that controlling your own emotions is a hard task, on top of having the task of helping your child navigate theirs. Having the tips and tools to navigate through...