Foster care support project sets fundraiser

The 111Project will host “Defy the Odds,” a fundraising bingo reception, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Sept. 21 at Walker Terrace, 1300 N Walker.

Cost is $45 per individual and $80 per couple. The evening will include a brief program, live band, bingo games and hors d’oeuvres.

The 111Project’s mission is to leave no Oklahoma child without a family. For more than seven years, the initiative has been equipping the local church to engage with foster care through family recruitment and support.

In addition, the 111Project’s CarePortal, a web-based resource to the Oklahoma Department of Human Services, families in need and the local church, has funneled more than $1 million in resources for foster care needs through the Department of Human Services since its inception 1 ½ years ago.

The 111Project began out of a desire to interface with the local church at a high level. There are more than 7,000 churches in Oklahoma. With each church committing to recruit and support just one foster family, the state would turn its current situation from kids waiting on families to families waiting on kids.

“Simply put, we need the help of donors across the state to fully implement the CarePortal and recruit churches to meet needs. In fewer than 10 counties and about a year in operation, the 111Project and its tool, the CarePortal, have served more than 2,500 kids in care, representing nearly 1,500 families, all on a shoestring budget. It’s time to take this tool to every county in our state,” said Chris Campbell, the 111Project’s executive director.

“It’s a game-changer for supporting foster care, and we need to make this happen. The work is too important and the stakes are too high — the lives of Oklahoma’s children and families.”

The 111Project is a 501(c)3 taxexempt charitable organization and all gifts are tax-deductible. To support the 111Project, go to www.111project.org. To purchase tickets for the reception, call 268-2825, or go to http://www.111project.org/defy-theodds.