We a great time at our Love One Neptune Park Family Day at Neptune Park at St. Simons Island. We had several families come and enjoy spending time relaxing, swimming, exploring the Island, and getting to know some of the other adoptive and foster families. The picnic area was perfect and everyone really enjoyed the water park! Looking forward to our next family water park day in 2017!
We had an AMAZING time at the Love One Adoptive and Foster Mom’s Retreat!! Our large group sessions with Lorie Newman had us all moved with the Holy Spirit, the worship music by the Late Church worship leaders was on fire, the breakout sessions were informative, and it was so nice to see other women with the same struggles, walking a similar path, to just be “real” with each other and just have time to recharge!
Thank you to all the volunteers—those who spoke, helped set up, made beds, cleaned up, made desserts, decorated, or just showed up to support the retreat. We could not have made this 1st retreat so special without your help! We hope this is just the first of many retreats to come with Love One!!! A big thank you to Laurie Schultz for getting these awesome photos! —♥ Also thank you to all the sponsors who made this retreat possible by paying it forward for another Mom to attend.
Foster Care Shoebox Drive- In April, Love One collected shoeboxes full of age appropriate toys, toiletry items, craft materials, and school items at Savannah Christian Church and in the community for local foster care children.
There were over 200 shoeboxes collected and distributed to local and private foster care agencies in five counties. The shoebox drive has been an ongoing compassion project with Love One for over three years with over 600 shoeboxes distributed to local foster care children. The purpose of this project is for children in foster care to feel the love of the community and Christ in their time of need.
These shoeboxes have provided many families an opportunity to plant a seed of hope in a child and have often led to the family taking a closer look at the idea of fostering or adopting. We have seen a growth in the number of foster care families we serve and attribute this growth to service projects just like this! A big thank you to all of the families who made a shoebox or several for local children in foster care!
On April 25th, Love One teamed up with the Heart Gallery of Georgia to host a spring gallery at Savannah Christian Church’s LINK building to raise awareness for adoptive families for foster care children in Georgia. The theme of the photographic gallery was “Love Blooms Best in Family.”
The photographic exhibit displayed children in foster care who are available to be adopted and are waiting for a forever family. There was also arts and crafts, games, and food for the whole family to be involved.
A big thank you to Ella’s of Richmond Hill for donating the flowers and to all of our volunteers who came to set up and work the event. This was the second Heart Gallery exhibit hosted with Love One. Love one has helped feature 33 children at their Heart Gallery exhibits and there are 9 pending adoptions to date.
On September 18th, we hosted the Hope & Homes for the Fatherless Dinner at the Savannah Christian Church LINK building. Representatives from various foster care, adoption, and global orphan care agencies were present to answer questions and provide information to guests.
Our speaker was Orphan care advocate, pastor, and author, Jason Johnson, who provided insight on the theology of adoption as well as his insight as a foster parent and adoptive father.
The purpose of the evening was to raise awareness to the orphan care crisis and the mandate of James 1:27, which is “to look after orphans and widows.” Johnson focused on the idea that we are not all called to adopt, but we are all called to do something.
On November 20th, Love One hosted an adoption celebration party at the Savannah Christian AMC building with plenty of fantastic desserts and a visit with our pony friends from the Legacy of Hope Initiative. There were also plenty of Thanksgiving crafts and fun in the bounce house!
We would like to say thank you to our many wonderful and devoted volunteers for donating their time, resources, and talents in making this a wonderful time of fellowship. Our adoptive families were able to meet and spend time celebrating what the Lord has done with growing their special families as well as Love One becoming a nonprofit as of October! Such blessings the Lord has heaped upon us all!