Kaytie Kelley volunteers for The CALL, which has supplies for foster children. Here are pictures of foster children waiting for adoption.


THE CALL


The name is no coincidence. For Kaytie Kelley, the CALL is a calling. Kelley is clothing closet coordinator at the CALL Closet,


which supplies foster children and their foster families with everything from clothes to diapers, wipes, high chairs and strollers. “If we don’t have it, we try to find it. We have a freezer


and try to stock freezer meals. It is open 24/7. If they get a call in the middle of the night, they can pack up a bag,” Kel- ley said. Kelley has pitched in there for two years. She and her


husband, Ryan, are foster parents themselves and signed up through the CALL. The goal of the CALL is to increase the number of foster


homes in each county in Arkansas so that children can stay in their county; and to support those families in their fostering/ adoption journey. When there are not enough homes in a county, a child who has already been traumatized, is moved to another, unfamiliar community. This can also mean sib- lings are split up, and everything that is familiar to those children is gone. The CALL works in partnership with the Arkansas Depart-


ment of Children and Family Services and area churches. It provides training for prospective foster and adoptive fam- ilies through the certification process and beyond. Initially, Kelley and her husband planned to sign up for


respite care which provides a short break for foster families. When she was pregnant with her third child, they went to an information meeting. “God was working on my husband at the same time, when


10 Living Well i March/April 2018


we left, he said ‘Where do we sign up?’ After the birth of our third child, we got a call asking if we could take a little guy,” said the 33-year-old. They have been fostering for three years now. The organization has been incredibly supportive in letting


them know what to expect, sped up the qualification process, and helped them understand children who come from trauma and how to respond as foster parents. “That is their role to come behind you. It’s so tough emo-


tionally, and physically it’s exhausting. We have continuing education. They help in any way possible. I love feeling like I am giving back because they are supporting us so much,” Kelley said. At the Closet, this mom does whatever is needed: solicits


more volunteers, sorts clothes, updates Facebook, cleans bathrooms, etc. But Kelley says she could not do it without the other volunteers, including four retired women who spend a lot more time working there than she does. “They are amazing. They are the workhorse, there is no


way I could have kept up with it myself. I want to make sure they are recognized because I am just one person,” she said. More needs: If you want to get involved, Sandy LaBahn, county coor-


dinator for the CALL of Baxter County, says they are looking for a prayer coordinator. “We are also looking for a hospitality coordinator. They


will be helping with keeping our freezer at our Closet stocked with dinners for our foster families. They also help coor- dinate lunch and snacks for our training weekends,” she said. For more information:www.thecallinarkansas.org.


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