Page 101 - South Mississippi Living - December, 2020

GIVING BACK
“Rescue 100 was born out of a journey of discovery,” said Rev. Karnes. “I discovered how many children there are in CPS custody in Harrison County. I discovered that our shelter was full of children with no homes to take them in. I realized how di cult the job is that our social workers do every day.”
Mississippi currently has almost 4,000 children in foster care, and Rescue 100 realizes there is a critical need for more foster families to take care of them and provide them with a safe, stable and loving home environment. In response, local churches, judges, administrators and Mississippi CPS work together
so the process of becoming a licensed foster parent was reduced from one year to three months. Due to the challenges of COVID, CPS now hosts orientation and training virtually twice a month and it has never been easier to become licensed.
story and photos courtesy of Rescue 100
Rescue 100 originated in Gulfport in 2016 as a faith-based initiative led by Pastor Tony Karnes of Michael Memorial Baptist Church in response to the need for 100 new foster families in his community. The success of the rst Rescue 100 event then inspired leaders to expand the program statewide, becoming a collaborative e ort between the Mississippi Department of Child Protective Services (CPS), the courts and churches representing all denominations across the state of Mississippi.
As the number of licensed resource homes increased, the importance of wrap-around care became evident. Out of this need for continued support and encouragement of foster families, Rescue 100 nonpro t was formed. Rescue 100 nonpro t is committed to supporting MDCPS and the Rescue 100 initiative, o ering continuing education hours, and equipping foster families who provide safe and loving homes for children in the state foster care system. Rescue 100 nonpro t also supports youth court and foster care/ adoption related events throughout the coastal counties.
Since the program originated, there have been a total of 433 newly licensed homes throughout Mississippi counties. In 2020, CPS has licensed 50 homes
so far and are on track to license approximately 18 more before the end of the year.
Rescue 100 | www.rescue100.org
Orientation and training information: www.mdcps.ms.gov/rescue100 | 769-798-3586 or 601-896-8677
SCHWARTZ, ORGLER, JORDAN
& WILLIAMS PLLC
Dedicated to serving the gulf coast community since 1996.
12206 HWY 49 • GULFPORT • 228-832-8550 | 2355 PASS RD • BILOXI • 228-388-7441 | WWW.SOJLAW.NET
SOUTH MISSISSIPPI Living | www.smliving.net December 2020 | 101
Rescue 100 serving the foster families of Pearl River county through Coast Electric Operation Roundup grant.
A CHILD IS ALWAYS
WORTH THE PROCESS &
MORE VALUABLE THAN
THE COST. ALWAYS.
– Jason Johnson, foster care and adoption advocate
Rescue 100 helped in the update project of the Harrison County Youth Court building.