After his daughter became a foster parent in 2019, Scott Bowser saw first-hand the difference foster families can have on the life of a child. He also saw the many hurdles that these parents face trying to raise a foster child. That was when he decided to get involved and become a volunteer guardian ad litem.

As a new GAL, Bowser said he was “blown away” when he learned about the number of children in the counties he serves (Aiken, Edgefield, McCormick, and Saluda) who were either homeless or in DSS custody and living with foster parents. However, he also discovered the limitations on how he could help.

“As a GAL we are not allowed to assist the family directly, but we can point them to the resources in their community,” says Bowser. And that’s what he did. Bowser started researching ministries and programs at nearby churches to learn what resources they could offer, and he began sharing that information with foster families.

Even so, he noticed that the needs of the community outweighed what even his own church, Fairview Presbyterian, could do. Additionally, he found that while many churches are willing to help, they seldom ask DSS workers or foster families what their specific needs actually are. And there were occasional overlaps in resources, with a surplus of some and not enough of another. He knew there must be a better way.

He and his church reached out to Fostering the Family, a nonprofit organization that “empowers and engages churches to raise up and support foster and adoptive parents.” In May, Fostering the Family helped establish its first charter, a network of six churches in Aiken and Edgefield counties that work independently but are still able to share resources and meet the needs of foster families and homeless children in their communities.

“Ultimately we are bridging churches to help solve the foster care crisis using the unique gifts of each church and communicating through Fostering the Family to help get this accomplished,” says Susie Boyle, Fostering the Family’s director of outreach and partnerships. “Typically each church has an advocate team lead who communicates through the FTF employees or the county coordinators.”

Foster or adoptive families can reach out to Fostering the Family and request the supports they need. The organization then directs those requests to the churches in the charter who work together to coordinate the response.

“We all don’t need to be doing the same thing, but we all should be doing something,” says Bowser. “Sharing resources allows individual churches to do what they do best and share their talents and resources with other churches. We are better when we work together.”

Now Bowser is an advocate not only for the children he helps as a guardian, but for the charter program.

“Our hope is that this model will expand into every county in South Carolina,” he says. “We want foster parents to know that they aren’t alone and that there is help for them by reaching out to Fostering the Family.”

While Edgefield/Aiken was the first official charter, Fostering the Family is working in six other counties, including its second charter in Anderson County.

“We would love to speak to anyone interested in seeing this happen in their county,” says Boyle who encourages individuals to contact her or Kim Trainer, CEO of Fostering the Family.