Above and Beyond

One of our core values at Arizona Baptist Children’s Services and Family Ministries (ABCS) is “do everything with excellence.” Throughout our seven Christ-centered ministries, whether someone is sending an email, bundling diapers, working with a client or driving a child to a visit, it is our goal to perform every task with professionalism and compassion. One example of this is a person who upholds this value every day: ABCS parent aide Nicole.

ABCS foster families and parent aides often work hand-in-hand to help children in foster care maintain healthy and safe relationships with their birth families. Parent aides, also known as case aides, serve children and families that have open cases with the Department of Child Safety (DCS) by arranging, facilitating and supervising visits between parents and their children. One of their duties is to pick up kids at their out-of-home care, take them to the visit, supervise the visit and drive the child back to their out-of-home care. Parent aides are mainly there to serve the children, but sometimes they leave a lasting impression on the foster families they interact with.

In September, we received a testimonial about ABCS parent aide Nicole from a foster family she works with. This family has been fostering for about a year, and Nicole is the parent aide to a child in their care. The foster dad shared that he and his wife have worked with multiple case aides, but Nicole’s consistency and dedication have stood out. Even though she has had to travel significant distances to continue serving their foster child, she has remained dependable and committed. He said, “She consistently goes above and beyond to make sure our foster child is supported.” He and his wife noted Nicole’s patience and reliability in their communications with her, and how that can be rare in a case aide from their experience.

Time spent in foster care can be an incredibly uncertain and challenging time in a child’s life. When a child has to move their entire world from one house to another, it is difficult to find anything stable to hold on to. In the midst of that uncertainty, having even one dependable person remain a consistent part of their life can make a meaningful difference. That is exactly what this foster family believes Nicole has provided. This foster dad said, “In foster care, where there can already be so much change and uncertainty for a child, having a familiar, dependable person remain involved is incredibly meaningful. Nicole has been such a positive presence. She has made an impression not only on us as foster parents, but on our foster child as well.” For this child, Nicole has been a steady presence during a season filled with change. Her commitment to continuing to show up has helped create a sense of familiarity and dependability, and that consistency has not gone unnoticed by the family.

As the foster dad reflected on Nicole’s impact, he also wanted to make sure she knew how much her work is appreciated. He recognized that case aides have demanding jobs and that the people serving behind the scenes do not always get to hear when their efforts are making a difference. He said, “I know case aides have a demanding job, and I’m sure they don’t always get to hear when they are doing an extraordinary job. I wanted to make sure Nicole did.” It was important to him and his wife that Nicole know her dedication has not gone unnoticed. They see the care she brings to her work, the consistency she provides for their foster child and the difference she continues to make in their family’s foster care journey.

Nicole’s story is one example of what it looks like when an ABCS staff member lives out ABCS’s commitment to do everything with excellence. Every day, our staff and volunteers have opportunities to make a difference through seemingly ordinary tasks. A drive to a visit. A phone call. An email. A conversation. A diaper bundle. A listening ear. We may never know the full impact of those moments. But for a child or family walking through a difficult season, the person who consistently shows up can become a reminder that they are not alone. Thank you, Nicole, for making a difference in the lives of the families you serve. We are grateful for how you show up every day, looking to the needs of others rather than your own.