Supporting Vulnerable Children

Our vision for Aiken and Edgefield county is larger than any one church program or project. We are striving to build a network of volunteers working to reflect God’s heart for the most vulnerable in our community. It is an all-too-rare picture of the church unified, serving in both word and deed, bearing testimony to the character of our God.

We believe that together we can be More Than Enough!

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Prayer & Awareness

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Building a Network of Churches

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Building Support for Foster Families

Fostering The Family
County Coordinator

Aiken/Edgefield Counties

Request a Care Community

Make a Donation

Join a Prayer Team

Volunteer on a Care Team

Scott Bowser, County Coordinator

Scott and his wife Angela attend Fairview Presbyterian Church in North Augusta. They have three children and six grandchildren, three biological and three adopted.

Angela is retired from the Savannah River Site where she held multiple management positions. She currently serves as the Lead Advocate for the Fairview Family Advocacy Ministry. Angela has worked with youth and taught Children’s Sunday school for over 30 years. She is active in the women’s ministry and spends much of her week supporting their grandchildren.

Scott currently works at the Savannah Rive Site and will retire in 2025. He has served as a youth leader, Deacon, Elder, and Chaired the Fairview Early Childhood Center Board of Directors. Since 2019 he has volunteered as a Guardian Ad Litem in Aiken and Edgefield County. He enjoys meeting with churches and raising awareness of vulnerable children.

Scott and Angela completed their Promise 686 Lead Advocate training in 2019 and started Fairview’s Family Advocacy Ministry during the Covid pandemic of 2020. In 2022, they joined with Fostering The Family and founded the Aiken and Edgefield Chapter in 2023.

In their spare time they like to vacation at Hilton Head, teaching kids how to water ski, fish, play Pickle Ball and spending time with their family.

Email Scott and Angela Bowser at: SEBowser1@aol.com

Scott Bowser, County Coordinator

Scott and his wife Angela attend Fairview Presbyterian Church in North Augusta. They have three children and six grandchildren, three biological and three adopted.

In their spare time they like to vacation at Hilton Head, teaching kids how to water ski, fish, play Pickle Ball and spending time with their family.

Email Scott and Angela Bowser at: SEBowser1@aol.com

SEBowser1@aol.com

(803) 617-9448

Request a Care Community

Join a Prayer Team

Volunteer on a Care Team

Meet the Board

Moderator

Christy Cockfield attends True North Church in North Augusta. Christy and her husband, Nate, have three biological children and have fostered three long term placements over the past six years. Christy is the Coordinator of the North Augusta Foster Mom Group. The Foster Mom group meets twice a month for bible study and fellowship. The group is sponsored by True North Church.

Vice Moderator

Kalei Thompson attends Republican Baptist Church in Edgefield County. Kalei and her husband Miller have fostered five children over the past five years. They currently have three children that they have adopted through Foster Care.

Outreach/Secretary

Melinda Drylie was a Foster Parent for five years. On 10/18/22 she officially adopted two foster children, Dixie and Michael. The Drylie’s fostered the children for four years and was supported by a Care Community.

Suzanne Shimp

Suzanne and Bob Shimp attend Fairview Presbyterian Church in North Augusta. They coordinate Michael’s Room, a clothing and furniture closet in North Augusta dedicated to Foster Parents and DSS families.

Joel Jolly

Joel and his wife, Susan, attend Edgefield First Baptist. Joel and Susan are the lead contacts for Edgefield County and coordinate the Edgefield county clothing closet and Blessed Beds Furniture ministry.

Tod and Gretchen Sawyer

Tod and Gretchen have served as foster parents over 10 years, caring for 10 children, four of whom joined their family permanently through adoption. Tod and Gretchen now are the proud parents of six girls! Gretchen and Tod Sawyer attend Victory Baptist church in North Augusta where they serve as the lead advocates for The Forgotten Initiative and focus on providing support to DSS.

Church Awareness

This ministry was started and will be sustained by prayer. We believe that Prayer and Awareness in the Church is the first step to making a positive impact in the Foster Care Crisis.

We assist churches in Aiken and Edgefield counties by holding Awareness and Fellowship Events. A team of church volunteers will oversee events and planning.

Among some of the events we have sponsored are dinners prepared by the church where participants enjoy a time of fellowship and awareness. Awareness Events bring to light all of the needs in the community where DSS, Guardian Ad Litem, Former Foster Children and parents provide testimonials and insight to what is happening in our backyards.

Fostering the Family Provides Several Ways You Can Get Involved

What is a Care Community?

A care Community is a team, much like an extended family, of 4-8 committed and equipped volunteers who support and serve a foster, adoptive or kinship family. Each volunteer receives a Fostering overview and gets to decide what roles they want to do and how often they want to serve. Each family is different, and support is always tailored to the family needs. The foundation of Every Care Community is prayer.

This is an excellent way for a Sunday School class or Small Group to perform outreach and exhibit the Gospel in our community.

As a FTF partner, Churches get access to Promises Serves Resources to assist them in managing their volunteers and teams.

Connecting SC

The Connecting SC Portal is a local database that allows DSS, Schools and Churches to list the needs of people in our communities. An email is sent out with the need notifying the volunteers. This is an excellent way for Churches and small groups to help serve their community and build relationships with both our schools, DSS workers and offer an opportunity to share the gospel. We have found that this is an essential way to fulfill needs and keep children from entering into the system when their birth families need a “hand up” in order for the family to stay in tact.

Local Needs

The Church Can Help Fill the Gap

There are over 400,000 children in the US foster care system, Approximately 4,000 children in the SC Foster care system and 70,000 kinship caregivers caring for children.
Aiken/Edgefield County has a shortage of 85 Guardian Ad Litems.
Aiken County averages 119 Children in Foster Care, 109 in Family Preservation and 130 open cases.
Edgefield County averages 12 Children in Foster Care, 5 in Family Preservation, and 11 open cases.
Fostering The Family works closely with the Guardian Ad Litem program. It is the GAL’s responsibility to speak for the least of these and ensure both the Parents and DSS are acting in the best interest of the child.
In an average quarter, County GAL volunteers will receive case offerings in the following categories.
8 children removed due to mother and infant testing positive for illegal drugs at birth.
16 children removed due to parental drug use.
3 children removed due to sexual abuse.
3 children removed due to physical abuse.
3 children removed due to domestic violence in the home.
2 children removed due to parent not complying with the treatment plan.
Prayer Request: More Christian Volunteer to advocate for vulnerable Children as Guardian Ad Litems.

Upcoming Events

Aiken/Edgefield County NA Foster Mom Group (1st and 3rd Tuesday)
Finger Foods and Fellowship (March)
Foster Family Lake day (May)
Fostering The Family GALA (October)
Foster Family Fellowship Dinner November
Foster Parent Night Out (TBD)

Join our Network of Churches

Bring Awareness to Your Church

Join a Foster, Adoption, or Kinship Support Group

Become a Guardian Ad Litem