There is a familiar statement that’s quoted often, "Behind every number, there is a name.” For the 400,000 children in the U.S. foster care system, they all have names. To Bethany Christian Services, one of the largest foster care and adoption agencies in the nation, every child is much more than a number. They are a person that deserves the love of Jesus Christ and the benefit of a stable family.
To help find homes for children in the foster care system, Bethany recently started a partnership with Willie Moore Jr., an actor, producer, speaker, comedian, radio host, Christian R&B artist and a licensed minister. The partnership between Moore and Bethany started in December 2018 on Moore's 40th Birthday.
This year, Willie and his wife Patricia, launched a tour of marriage events in about a dozen cities across the United States. The pair minister to couples regarding strengthening their marriages, and he has also very creatively tied marriage, family, and growing your family through adoption, as well. So far, the efforts of Moore and Bethany seem to be paying off, as 215 African-American families have been recruited.
As an African-American male, Moore is particularly concerned about the racial disparity in the American foster care system. Black children make up 23 percent of the children in foster care, although African-Americans only make up 14 percent in the United States population, Child Trends reports.
The rise of African-American children in the foster care system has been a problem that has plagued the black community, which is one of the reasons why Bethany has made it a top priority. Bethany believes the partnership with Moore Jr’s network of African American churches will lead to more Black foster families.
This is personal for Moore, as he was placed in the St. Louis, Missouri foster care system as a three-month-old baby, and was adopted by the Moore's, an older African-American couple.
“Partnering with Bethany has been impactful and helpful for me to get the message out there, in order to connect and see more minority families take that next step,” the entertainer said. “I want to see more stories like mine, I can't even imagine where I would be if it wasn't for the Moore's.”
Photo courtesy: Getty Images/Marcus Ingram/Stringer
