Circle of Care began serving abandoned children in 1917 at the Methodist Orphanage in Oklahoma City and the Frances E. Willard Home for Girls in Tulsa.
More than 100 years later, nearly 9,000 children are in state custody and rely on the care of foster parents. Approximately 300 youth in state custody reach the age of 18 each year only to leave the system with no family or stable support network.
Circle of Care administers 10 foster care offices and sites across Oklahoma. The nonprofit agency contracts with the Department of Human Services to recruit, train, and support community and campus-based foster homes.
Previously Vice-President of Programs, Keith Howard now serves as Circle of Care’s new CEO and President. Howard says, “For eight years, I felt God tug on my heart (to foster) and then I would count all the ways I was already doing something. Eight years was too long and I’m glad I didn’t wait a day, week or month longer or I might have missed out.”
Howard and his wife, Stacy, are parents to two biological children and a sibling group of 4 they first fostered and then adopted. He says, “Where convenience and inconvenience intersect is where adventure awaits.”
Howard and Circle of Care welcome nationally acclaimed speaker, former foster kid and Oklahoma native, Josh Shipp, as the keynote speaker at their annual Friends of Children fundraising gala on April 20th. A best-selling author and global youth empowerment expert, Shipp is renowned for his documentary TV series on A&E, Teen Whisperer. He says, “Every kid is ONE caring adult away from being a success story.”
The public is invited to hear Josh’s compelling story, be inspired and support children in need on at the National Cowboy &Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City on Friday, April 20th.
Tickets and sponsorships are available at www.circleofcare.org, or call 405-530-2078. The event center is at 1700 NE 63rd St. in Oklahoma City. Registration begins at 5:15 p.m. with the program and dinner commencing at 6 p.m. #eveningofcaring
Circle of Care’s mission is to provide Christian help, healing, and hope to children and families in crisis to ensure a safe, healthy, and spiritual future.
