Soon, Cullman County foster children and teens will have a place to go that’s always home. 

With the help of local residents voting online, the Link of Cullman County won a $25,000 grant from the State Farm Neighborhood Assist Program to fund renovations at its former headquarters on Third Avenue Southeast. The project will create an activity and educational facility for foster children to learn skills to cope with life as adults as well as counseling to help them better manage the lingering stress and trauma of an unstable childhood, said Dawn Owens, non-profit’s executive director. 

“The statistics for foster children are terrible — they’re at greater risk of homelessness, prostitution, drug addiction and suicide,” she said. “This grant is going to allow us to better serve our foster care population by giving them a safe place to come — no matter how often they may have to move to different homes —  to learn skills to prevent that from happening.”

Cullman County is home to a higher than average number of foster children with 224 children in care and only 30 foster families. The  facility will also provide training and support for foster parents to help reduce the stresses of fostering youth.

In September, State Farm invited non-profits from all across the United States to submit proposals for community projects. The pool of projects was whittled down to 200 by an advisory board, and then the public was invited in October to vote online for the community project of their choice.

Owens said she was astounded The Link not only made the cut to 200 but finished in the top 40 overall. 

“To be the only one in the state that won a grant is amazing,” she said. “We can’t thank State Farm and their local agents enough for getting everyone engaged and voting online for us. And we’re thankful to the entire community that voted and supported us. It wouldn’t be possible without them.”

 

Tiffeny Owens can be reached at 256-734-2131, ext. 135.