Welcome to 2024!       

I hope your holiday season has been filled with joyous new memories from celebrating with family and friends. Or, if the holidays have had a more somber tone to them for whatever reason (my own family is navigating the holidays after loss), I pray that you looked for and saw the many blessings, both big and small, that God wove into each day.

As I look forward to 2024, I was reminded that 2023 was the first full year that we have been serving children and families through our pre-adoption/guardianship and post-adoption/guardianship services contract with the State of Indiana. It has been an honor and privilege to come alongside, equipping with knowledge, resources, and sustainable community supports to help build and maintain safe and stable homes for Indiana children in need.

However, work in this area is far from complete and at Lifeline, we continue to learn and grow the program. As they say, it takes a village, and that adage applies to this program as well! As I look towards 2024, I feel called to build on relationships and partnerships. So, in 2024, won’t you consider partnering with Lifeline? Whether it be sharing suggestions and feedback about unmet needs in the adoption and guardianship community that Lifeline can help meet, or mentioning helpful community resources that we can make sure to connect children and families to, I would love to hear it all! Lifeline serves in all of Indiana’s 92 counties, but even if you are reading this out-of-state, please share what you have seen working in your area! I’m also more than happy to jump on a call or, if you’re in the Fort Wayne area, meet for a coffee to discuss more. You can easily reach me by email at melissa.mcwilliams@lifelineyouth.org. 

Together, I believe in 2024 we can impact even more children’s and families’ futures through creating healthy, permanent families. Do you believe as well?