East Texas nonprofit 4Kids4Families is making a significant impact by supporting the growing number of children in need of foster care.
Operating under the Texas Family Code section 264.161, the organization serves as a Single Source Continuum Contractor (SSCC) for Region 4, which covers 23 counties – known as the Piney Woods area. The counties it serves include Anderson, Bowie, Camp, Cass, Cherokee, Delta, Franklin, Gregg, Harrison, Henderson, Hopkins, Lamar, Marion, Morris, Panola, Rains, Red River, Rusk, Smith, Titus, Upshur, Van Zandt, and Wood.
As the SSCC, 4Kids4Families manages foster care placements, care work, and services for children, as well as support for relatives and kinship caregivers. A nonprofit 501c3 organization, 4Kids4Families is a division of Arrow Child & Family Ministries, a child-placing agency. In February 2023, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services (DFPS)transitioned to a Community-Based Care (CBC) model in Region 4, entrusting 4Kids4Families with responsibilities previously handled by the state. This shift represented a move from a state-managed system to one driven by community involvement, enabling support that is more tailored to children and families in the Pineywoods area.
4Kids4Families currently has more than 1,220 children in foster care, with nearly 50percent of them placed outside Region 4. The nonprofit aims to change this with more in-region placement in the hopes of having more people become foster families and helping keep siblings together as well. As of May 1, 4Kids4Families oversees all foster care case management in 23counties, including placement, permanency, care management, transportation, community engagement, and adoptions. DFPS continues to lead CPS Investigation Teams in all 23 counties.
November marked a significant milestone for 4Kids4Families — one year of overseeing placements and six months of managing foster care casework. “In this short time, we’ve seen the incredible difference community support can make,” said Jon Mark McMullen, Senior VP of 4Kids4Families. This holiday season, 4Kids4Families is launching Christmas4Kids, an initiative designed to bring joy to the children in foster care across the region. “Working directly with these children, I see how much the small joys of the holiday season mean to them,” said Katie Lum, Smith County Permanency Specialist. “For some, it’s their first time receiving a gift chosen just for them.
The generosity of our community through Christmas4Kids brings light and joy to kids who need it most, and that’s truly life changing.” The organization collects wish lists from children in foster care and works with local organizations and community partners to fulfill those wishes. These partners either raise funds to cover the cost of gifts or organize Angel Trees and donation drives where sponsors can directly purchase the requested items.
4Kids4Families will collect all the donations, and then the caseworkers will distribute the gifts to kinship and foster families. “Christmas4Kids isn’t just about gifts; it’s about creating moments of joy and normalcy for children in foster care,” said Kaitlyn Kading, Community Relations Coordinator for the Christmas4Kids initiative.
“When a youth opens a gift they wished for, it tells them, ‘You’re seen, and you’re cared for.’” By fulfilling wish lists and creating meaningful holiday moments, the program aims to brighten the lives of children who have faced significant challenges. “This year, we invite everyone to join us in making these moments possible by adopting a wish list or donating,” Kading said. “Together, we can create a holiday season they’ll never forget.” If you would like to learn more about how to get involved or support Christmas4Kidsor Christmas For the Least of These, please email christmas@4Kids4Families.org, or visit their website for more information 4kids4families.org.
“Christmas4Kids embodies the heart of what we do: bringing hope and joy to children who’ve faced unimaginable challenges,” McMullen said. “Every donation, whether it’s adopting a wish list or contributing funds, helps us create a holiday season that reminds these kids they are cherished and loved.”
