Posted on Dec 03, 2019
Our Program on December 3rd was the Reel Hope Project presented by founder and Director Kaycee Stanley and accompanied by staff member Molly Barr.  The program was introduced by Steve Frazier who shared that he was a foster child and his parents became his Mom and Dad for life and did so for 50 foster kids.  Kaycee and Molly are both adoptive parents and committed to the Reel Hope Project’s goal to help find forever families for every waiting kid.  Their method is to make videos for the 1,000 kids waiting to be adopted that cannot return to the natural parents.  The videos tell each kid’s story in their own words.  Currently there are 10,000 kids in the foster home situation and the 1,000 kids who’s parents have lost their parental rights.  The statistics she presented about foster kids was astounding; 80% of prison inmates are foster kids and 80% of sex –trafficking females and 2/3rd of female foster girls get pregnant out of wedlock. To impact these statistics Reel Hope circulates these videos to churches and social service clubs to hunt for potential adoptive parents and also fundraising.  Of the 100-115 reels they have circulated, 65 have been placed in adoptive homes with 250 more awaiting placement.  Kaycee ended by saying that Rotarian can get involved by (1) inviting Reel Hope to their churches, (2) connecting their staff to potential adoptive parents, and (3) giving generously to help in the production of videos and placement costs.  At the end of the program President Michelle presented the Reel Hope Project with a $600 grant which was matched with a $600 donation from Steve and Karen Frazier.