Cassopolis FFA, botany class deliver flowers to foster families
Published 7:01 am Saturday, May 11, 2024
- Family Bound partnered with the Cassopolis FFA Chapter and high school botany class to deliver flowers to foster families. (Submitted photo)
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CASSOPOLIS — Mother’s Day can be a difficult time for some families. Whether the family has experienced the loss of a mother, the loss of a child, infertility, estrangement, or an array of other circumstances, Mother’s Day is hard for some.
One group that this holiday is particularly difficult for is foster families. Many foster families try their best to ignore the holiday completely so as to not bring up difficult memories and emotions for their foster children who may not have contact with their biological mothers. Despite this, foster mothers deserve to be spoiled and appreciated, just as any other mother would.
Family Bound partnered with the Cassopolis FFA Chapter and Cassopolis High School botany class to help brighten this holiday for foster moms in Cass and St. Joe County. Each foster family in Cass and St. Joe County was surprised with a potted plant and a handmade card. The FFA chapter provided the flowers, the Botany class planted them and made cards, and Family Bound’s recruitment and retention coordinator, Josh Deubner, delivered them.
The Cassopolis FFA Chapter and botany class have been growing plants in their greenhouse in preparation for their annual plant sale on May 17 and May 18. When Josh approached FFA advisor and ag teacher, Hannah Hoff, about this community service project, she jumped at the opportunity.
“We had some extra flowers that we didn’t really have a plan for,” she said. “This opportunity to give back to the community was the perfect use for them. Service learning is what FFA and ag classes are all about.”
The Cassopolis FFA plant sale will be held in the parking lot at Sam Adams Elementary School. On May 17, the sale will be from 4 p.m. until 8 p.m. On May 18, the sale will be from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m. There will be perennial plants, annual hanging baskets, vegetables, and herbs. Contact Hannah Hoff at hhoff@cassopolis.org for more information.
Family Bound is an organization that helps recruit, retain, and support FAK (foster adoptive kinship) families. They serve all of southwest Michigan. Recruitment and retention coordinator, Josh Deubner, supports and recruits in Cass and St. Joe counties. He has been in this position for 4 months at this time. Josh states “I am drawn to help with this because I am a foster parent myself. We went from having no kids to three kids in under three years.” There is such a need for foster families, as there are close to 200 kids in foster care and only about 40 homes in the counties Josh serves.
“Yes, it can be hard at times, but in the end, anything we can do to help these kids will help them in the long run,” Josh said.
For more information on becoming a foster parent call 1-855-MICHKIDS. If you want to help by volunteering, you can reach out to Josh at jdeubner@familybound.org and he will get you in contact with organizations in your area to help.
