ABOUT USGreat Heights Foster Care, Inc. is a Georgia 501(c)(3) working in the foster care community to support children and their families as they navigate the challenges that come with trauma, separation, and healing. We seek to partner with the community and utilize our resources to come along side families during the reunification process so they can soar to great heights. Great Heights is also accessible to foster families and organizations so they can do the same for the children and families for and with whom they are caring and partnering.
|
|
What is foster care?
FOSTER CARE
The Child Welfare Information Gateway defines foster care as
"a temporary service provided by states for children who cannot live with their families."
In Georgia, children and youth ages 0-21 are most often brought into the Division of Family and Children Services' (DFCS) custody when it is determined they are unable to safely remain in their home of origin.
These children and youth are ideally placed with appropriately identified relatives or fictive kin, but are generally placed in a family foster home with either DFCS or a Child Placement Agency (CPA), a group home, a residential treatment program, or an Independent Living Program (ILP).
The primary goal of foster care is to give children and youth a safe and stable living environment while their family does the necessary work to have their child(ren) return home.
While reunification does not always occur, and some children and youth do end up needing an adoptive home, it is important to recognize that foster care is not intended to be a path to adoption and families interested in fostering need to be committed to the reunification process. To learn more about Georgia children currently in need of adoptive homes click here.
The Child Welfare Information Gateway defines foster care as
"a temporary service provided by states for children who cannot live with their families."
In Georgia, children and youth ages 0-21 are most often brought into the Division of Family and Children Services' (DFCS) custody when it is determined they are unable to safely remain in their home of origin.
These children and youth are ideally placed with appropriately identified relatives or fictive kin, but are generally placed in a family foster home with either DFCS or a Child Placement Agency (CPA), a group home, a residential treatment program, or an Independent Living Program (ILP).
The primary goal of foster care is to give children and youth a safe and stable living environment while their family does the necessary work to have their child(ren) return home.
While reunification does not always occur, and some children and youth do end up needing an adoptive home, it is important to recognize that foster care is not intended to be a path to adoption and families interested in fostering need to be committed to the reunification process. To learn more about Georgia children currently in need of adoptive homes click here.
Great Heights is committed to supporting the reunification process and believes that when others come alongside families to help them self-determine their needs, while providing assistance in accessing the necessary resources, the path forward is clearer.
|
Great Heights believes that children and youth in care deserve to have access to the same services, resources, items, and positive experiences as their non-fostered peers and is equally committed to being a part of ensuring this is realized.
|
What we do in the community:
|
RAISE FUNDS
Great Heights relies primarily on monetary donations to operate and provide for the community we support. Donations allow for the purchasing of items that may not already be on hand for families and children, the funding of activities and extra-curriculars for children and youth, and the ability to utilize unique methods to spread awareness in the community.
Scroll to learn more about how to make a monetary donation. |
COLLECT DONATIONS
Great Heights accepts physical donations. From clothing to luggage, toys to books, toiletries to housewares, and much more, donations are passed directly to children, youth, families, organizations, and DFCS.
Head to the contact us section to get in touch with someone about making such a donation. *Items must be new and unused. |
SPREAD AWARENESS
Great Heights believes in the power of knowledge. If more people in the community know about what is going on in the foster care system, how it works, and the truths behind the myths, then stigmas can break, support can build, families can heal, and children can thrive.
|
|
EDUCATE
Great Heights educates as part of our efforts to spread awareness. So, did you know...
...per the CDC, approximately 1 in 7 children experienced child abuse in the last year (and they suspect that is an underestimate)? ...the latest Adoption and Foster Care Analysis Reporting System (AFCARS) report showed that at the end of fiscal year 2019 there were 424,000 children and youth in the national foster care system? ...addressing economic and educational disparities, domestic violence, access to community resources, parenting skills, and similar topics can reduce rates of child abuse and keep children out of foster care? |
PARTNER
Great Heights seeks to develop and grow new and existing relationships with other entities and individuals, both inside and outside the foster community, throughout the entire State of Georgia to ensure that a diverse and increasing number of children, youth, and families are reached.
Head to the contact us section to get in touch with someone about possible partnership. |
LEARN
Great Heights believes people are the experts on their own lives and that for us to be of greatest use we need to come alongside others not only to support, but also to listen. We teach others from our experiences in the field and the education and training we have received, but for us to grow personally, as an organization and as individuals, we must learn from those with whom we are working.
|
SUPPORT THE SOAR
If you would like to make a gift online, click the donate button to be directed to our secure online giving page; if you prefer, you can make a check payable to "Great Heights Foster Care, Inc." and mail it to our mailing address:
Great Heights Foster Care, Inc.
5710 Ogeechee Road #200
Mailbox #224
Savannah, GA 31405
We accept donor advised funds.
Employer Identification Number: 81-4366391
Great Heights Foster Care, Inc.
5710 Ogeechee Road #200
Mailbox #224
Savannah, GA 31405
We accept donor advised funds.
Employer Identification Number: 81-4366391
|
At no extra cost to you, you can support Great Heights when you shop on Amazon.
Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible amazonsmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice. You can choose from thousands of organizations and we would love for you to consider putting us on your account (click the logo on the right to be directed to amazonsmile). *Since donations are made at no cost to you they are not eligible for tax deduction. |
|
Great Heights is on Purposity, an Atlanta-based organization formed on the principle that individuals find purpose through generosity: Purposity. To be a part of our Purposity movement, download the Purposity app in the App Store or Google Play, and follow Great Heights Foster Care. You will be able to see specific physical needs within our community and how you can meet them with just a few clicks, giving us more time to focus on the long-term needs of those we serve. |
GENEROUS PAST SUPPORTERS
CONTACT US
"Families are the compass that guide us.
They are the inspiration to reach great heights,
and our comfort when we occasionally falter."
- Brad Henry -
They are the inspiration to reach great heights,
and our comfort when we occasionally falter."
- Brad Henry -
If you have concern for the safety or well-being of a child in the State of Georgia
you can make a report to the CPS Centralized Communication Center at:
1-855-GA-CHILD (1-855-422-4453).
you can make a report to the CPS Centralized Communication Center at:
1-855-GA-CHILD (1-855-422-4453).