Where will you celebrate Thanksgiving? To most, the answer is simple: With my family. To 5854 Houston children awaiting foster homes, the question is not so simple.
Recently, the Oscar-nominated movie “The Blind Side” brought national attention to foster care families. From an impoverished upbringing to adoption into a middle class family and subsequent NFL career, Michael Oher discovers his potential as a student and a football player with the help of his newfound family, tutors and coaches.
A capacity crowd joined supporters of the Arrow Child and Family Ministries as they hosted the family who inspired this blockbuster movie. Emcee Deborah Duncan introduced adoptive parent Leigh Anne Tuohy and her daughter Collins, and the movie’s true inspiration, Michael Oher. Leigh Anne’s southern accent made everyone feel at home. Her message was simple: There is value in those deemed valueless. “He had a much greater impact on our lives than we did on his life,” she says.
Arrow Child and Family Ministries was founded to bring out the value in foster kids and strengthen foster families. Founder Mark Tennant believes the crisis involving local children is just as devastating as the Haitian earthquake crisis, without the media attention. “There are more than 27,000 foster children in Texas and over 463,000 in the U.S. foster care system, with 123,000 of them waiting for adoption.”
Thousands of children are rescued from abuse and placed in the foster care system every year. Without quality role models, their cycle of abuse is likely to continue. The Tuohy’s became Michael Oher’s support system and broke his cycle of neglect.
You can impact a child’s life. Currently, the Arrow is reaching out to churches, individuals and corporations in response to the foster care crisis from its national headquarters in Spring, Texas. They provide individual homes for children across Texas and beyond.
Find out how you can help at www.arrow.org.
