On August 30, 2004 For Jamie's Sake was opened to be a resource center for the foster and adoption community. The initial concept for the center was to merely work to create awareness about the number of children in foster care waiting to be adopted. The hope was for us to be able to create enough awareness that every child would find their forever family. For Jamie's Sake is a faith based, 501 (c) 3 not for profit organization and we do not receive any type of city, state or federal funding. We are completely 100 % funded by our fundraisers, individual, business and church support.
Let me back up just a couple of years before the center was opened. In 2000, just months after Ellie's adoption was finalized, I learned that November was national adoption awareness month. Mom and I held the first ever adoption awareness event in our area at the Ashland Town Centre Mall. In 2001 after doing research I found out May was foster care awareness month and so the story was once again repeated that the first ever foster care event in our area was held by mom and I; however, this time the event was held at Central Park in Ashland. I knew without a doubt that God intended for me to be doing something in this area to make a difference. I was working at Ashland Oil in the relocation department utilizing my education as a real estate agent, appraiser and auctioneer. How in the world could God use me? Those 4 years from 2000-2004 I was so unsettled and I know refer to this time as the "alarm clock" time in my life. The alarm clock was going off that God wanted my attention and he wanted me to be the hands and feet helping children in foster care waiting to be adopted. When I would host an event I was hitting the snooze button on the alarm clock. However, in between May & November that alarm clock kept going on until May 2004 when at a foster care awareness rally. It was after this event that I couldn't turn off the alarm clock and I could hear the messages loud and clear that this was in fact what God wanted me to be doing with my life. But how? I'm not a social worker! I'm just a real estate agent. What was special about that May 2004 event? At that event there was a young lady that was seated across from me talking about what she wanted for her birthday that just happened to be the following week. What did she want? All she wanted was a family. As soon as she left it was as if every bell and whistle began to sound and I knew without a doubt I was going to work in this area doing something.
June 2004 while traveling to vacation I told Elliott that God wanted me to do something full time in the area of foster care and adoption (let's just say this was one of probably 100 conversations I had with him). He said, "If you are meant to do this God will provide you with a sign." I promise, as soon as he said that we both saw a purple billboard with an angel blowing a horn and the sign said hallelujah. He looked at me and said, "There is your sign!" From that moment forward there has been no turning back.
July 2004 Ellie and I rented the same space we are in right now not knowing what we were going to call the "work" God wanted me to do or where in the world the money was going to come from.
For Jamie's Sake is unique in the fact that we serve, in many cases, as the family for so many that exit the foster care system. Our other services include:
In 2010 we opened our second For Jamie's Sake in Northern KY near Alexandria, KY (close to Cincinnati, OH)
Oh, the young blonde haired gal that forever changed my life that May 2004 day, her name is Jamie. So, For Jamie's Sake was created in her honor. By the time Jamie exited foster care she had been in 46 foster homes, residential treatment facilities and available for adoption.
In the next couple of years the plan is to open a home for young adults that exited from the foster care system at 18. The goal of the home is to teach them life skills social skills and for them to form their own family. The kids that exit foster care are not only ill-equipped to age out but they are developmentally behind others that are their age and they don't have a safety net in place of anyone that can help them if they make mistakes, try and fail. I want house to be named the Reeves house. It was in my "Reeves house" that I learned firsthand that unconditional love does exist and God doesn't make mistake. God has a plan and purpose for their life. I want this house to help them learn just that.
Each year and estimated 24,000 young adults are failed by the foster care system and "age out" once they celebrate their 18th birthday. No matter how dysfunctional the "system" has served as their family for many years. So many of them enter into the system because of abuse or neglect and they were merely innocent victims. rwrwer
On the day we opened our doors in 2004, Elliott asked me how long I would be doing this and I replied, "Until every child has their forever family, God changes the direction of my life or I'm dead." He hasn't asked since.
We struggle financially (that is an understatement..please pray for us) and that is exhausting. There are times that it would be so much easier to wave the white flag and surrender. I am reminded of carrying the cross to Calvary and dying on the cross wasn't easy but he did that for me. I can do this for him. We are beyond blessed with clothing and other items at our office. It reminds me of the song: Surely the goodness of the Lord is in this place.
I am a perfect example of God doesn't always call the qualified he qualifies the called.