"Attempt something so great for God that if He isn't in it, it is doomed to fail."

I'm not sure where I heard this, but I know I've heard it said many times. This is exactly where we are with our Statewide Swimsuit and Towel Drive. We are attempting to provide over 2800 of Alabama's foster children with a new swimsuit and towel embroidered with their name this spring. In each bag there is a card from BigHouse that tells the children not only are they loved by their community, they are loved unconditionally by a Heavenly Father. Our goal is to provide these children with a gift that has been made just for them, to show them how special they are to Him!

We know we can't do this alone. We need others to stand with us and support this drive. Not only do we still need donations, we need help from embroiderers. We need people who will commit to helping us make these towels so special for these children. We have heard over and over from different families how many of these children have NEVER had something with their name on it- NEVER had something that was made especially for them- maybe even NEVER had something that they could call their own.

I think most of us would admit that we don't know what it feels like to not have something that is our own. Something that no one else in the world can claim. I know growing up I had a blankie, clothes, toys, a bed, a bike, dolls, money, a car, and much more that I could call mine. Although I did share a lot with my siblings, there were things at my home with MY name on them. It is hard to imagine living in someone else's house, sleeping in someone else's bed, playing with someone else's toys, just waiting to be someone else's foster child. Their lives can be difficult to imagine and although we have wonderful foster parents who do their best to make these children feel comfortable and at home, it still isn't their home. These kids face issues of fear, confusion, disappointment, loss, grief, anger, and separation that most of us have never known. Sometimes it can be overwhelming to know how to help.

Sometimes it's easier to just ignore the issue of foster care all together and hope it goes away or hope you are never confronted with just how hard life can be for these kids. I'll admit, sometimes I get overwhelmed by the whole system and just want to forget about it. I don't want to lay in my bed at night and think about how over 500,000 children in the US are sleeping in a bed that is not their own tonight. I don't want to think about how there are close to 120,000 waiting to find a forever home. I don't want to think about the foster parents who, at that very moment, are holding, rocking, patting, or singing a crying child to sleep because that child feels scared and alone. BUT I do. I have to. Not because I am a good person, but because God is a GREAT God and he has given me a passion for children in foster care. And I am not alone. He has pressed the call of the foster child into more hearts than mine; into my husband Blake's, into our friend and BigHouse staffer Susannah's, into my parents, into families across our community who are doing foster care, into local churches, into area business owner's, and I believe into MANY more who have not yet answered the call. Some of those being called may be called to be foster parents, but the majority of us are not. We are not off the hook- we are called to be supporting those families and children ANY WAY WE CAN. We are the body of Christ and we need to wrap His arms around these families and kids and love on them.

How can we do this? How can we live out James 1:27 in America today? How can you, the average, hardworking citizen make a difference in the life of a foster child? You can start small. You can start with a swimsuit and embroidered towel. You can start by donating $25 to sponsor one child in this drive. You can make sure that one more child will receive something with their name on it, something they can call their own, something that tells them they are special. But you can, of course, do more than that. You can donate $100 for four children, or $1000 for 40 children. You can donate new towels or swimsuits. You can embroider towels with your machine. You can donate your machine to BigHouse for a week, a month, or forever. You can buy BigHouse another machine so we can do 2x as many next year. You can donate clothes to our clothes closet. You can donate new toys and gift cards for our birthday club. You can volunteer for our Kids' Night Outs. You can pay our rent for a month(or a year). You can volunteer to tutor. You can help us with quickbooks. You can donate a car, boat, motor home, trailer, etc. You can sponsor a family for our beach trip. You can come and clean our building. You can buy a t-shirt. You can do a lot or a little to help. But you can do something.

Pray about where you fit in the foster care system. Are you being called to be a foster family? Let us know and we can help you get connected to more resources. Want to support those already fostering? Call us, email us, come by, facebook us, tweet us, JUST GET IN TOUCH. We NEED you!

Want to know more about BigHouse- check out our website- www.ourbighouse.org.

Please don't quiet the call. Your life will be blessed.

-Micah Melnick
Founder and Director of BigHouse Foundation

A learning experience...

Yesterday, Blake and I had the opportunity to go to The Foundation Center in downtown Atlanta and take some free classes on grant seeking. This is an area we are working hard to educate ourselves about in hopes that we can find more funding sources for BigHouse and our programs. We were able to take 3 different classes, all extremely informative, and I feel like we have a much better grasp on what we need to do to pursue more grant funding.

In our first class, I was really surprised to learn that, on average, about 73% of non-profit funding comes from individuals. That is almost 3/4's of a non-profit's budget! Why it shocked me, I'm not sure but it really helped me realize that BigHouse needs to do a much better job of engaging individuals to support our programs. It is the financial commitment of our families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, church congregations, community members and complete strangers that will keep BigHouse running. And we need that commitment. We need people who will stand with BigHouse financially.

Now, I know we are all asked about 1,000,000,000 times each week, month, year, to donate money to a cause. And most of these things are really great causes that deserve your support! It can be hard to know who or what to support, especially when money gets tight and support may be limited. That is why I am asking our families, friends, co-workers, neighbors, church congregations, and community members (and complete strangers) to please prayerfully consider supporting BigHouse. If God leads you to support other groups- that is great and you should! BUT if God is leading you to support BigHouse, please be obedient to His call. We hear it said often "I can't do foster care but I want to help" and this is a BIG way you can help. Supporting BigHouse supports those who are able to be foster parents. Supporting BigHouse supports those in our county and state that are most vulnerable. Supporting BigHouse helps us reach over 3,000 children in Alabama's foster care system each year through one or more of our many programs.

Maybe you are wondering exactly what your giving would support... That is a great question! BigHouse has many programs in place to support foster families in Lee County and we are working on growing them to support other counties as well!

Our Clothes Closet is one of most utilized programs because it meets an immediate and tangible need for our families. We keep new or gently used clothing for preemies to young adults organized and ready for our families to shop- FOR FREE. Our clothes closet is dependent on quality donations from families in our community and support from our clothes closet sponsor Kids Clothes Connection. Without this help, many of our families would bear the financial burden of clothing their children alone. Although small vouchers may be available to new children in care, it can take days to receive the voucher and it is hard to build a complete wardrobe for a child on a voucher for around $65. This is a tangible need BigHouse meets for children in foster care.

One example of how God provides for our families through our clothes closet was a time when a group of young siblings came into care in the middle of the night. They brought only the clothes they were wearing to their new foster family. First thing the next morning, they came to BigHouse on their way to a court hearing. We were able to find suitable school/play clothes, shoes, some underwear and pajamas for all the kids. And we watched these sweet, scared little children play in twirl in clothes they picked out. I will never forget how it felt to see their faces light up in their new clothes.

Another program that is popular with our kids and parents alike is our KNOs! Our Kids' Night Out program allows us to provide respite care for 3 hours 1 Friday night a month for our families. Parents drop their kids off with us for an evening of fun, food, and a fair share of chaos! We play games, do crafts, watch movies, eat dinner, and have a lot of fun, all while getting to know and love on our BigHouse kids. We also get the opportunity to share God's love with the kids through our time, energy, words and actions. We average about 50 children each month, ranging in age from infants to teens. We are so thankful for our KNO Partner Cornerstone Church and the blessing they have been to provide a space and meal for all our KNOs this spring.

The biggest program we do at BigHouse is our Statewide Swimsuit and Towel Drive. This drive is in its 4th year and this will be our second year to do it statewide. BigHouse will collect new swimsuits and new bath or beach towels for children in foster care. We will have each towel embroidered with the child's name to make it extra special and unique. Last year we completed 3421 requests from children in 61 out of 67 counties. We include a card to each child that explains that their community loves and supports them and that they have a Heavenly Father that will never fail them. The feedback we have received from kids, teens and families lets us know that this drive is important to helping these kids feel cherished and special. For many, this may be the only thing they have every had personalized just for them.

BigHouse has many other programs including a Birthday Club, Preschool Mothers' Day Out, Tutoring, Summer Day Camp, Family Beach Retreat, Back to School Bash, Glitz, Glam and Gowns Event, Care Packages, and Breakfast with Santa, all of which you can learn more about on our website. Our goal with ALL our programs and events is to provide for the needs foster children and families have while sharing Christ love with them. We hope that we can plant a seed or make an impact that God can grow and magnify for His Glory.

Supporting BigHouse with your finances will not only help us grow and take these programs to other children in other counties, it will also allow us to keep the lights on(so to speak) at BigHouse. Your support will help provide our rent and utilities, our 2 paid staff, and our insurance and background checks so we can continue to work with these children. Your giving, whether it is a little or a lot, will go a long way in our efforts to serve foster families. If you are one of the many people we have spoken to that want to provide for the needs of children in care, but can't be a foster parent, please become a BigHouse supporter. We NEED you!

To make a one time donation OR set up a recurring donation (as little as $10 per month!) please use our Razoo Donation Page.

**Razoo is an established organization that helps non-profits like us set up ways to accept online donations!

Thank you all for reading and praying about this opportunity. We look forward to having others join us in our passion to support foster children.

-Micah Melnick

Founder and Executive Director

Have a question? Shoot me an email at micah@ourbighouse.org

Swimsuit and Towel Drive

It is finally March, which means that our 2nd annual statewide Swimsuit and Towel Drive has begun!

Allison and I have officially been inducted into the SSTD club- we learned how to embroider last week! As we hear stories from Micah and Susannah, this skill will come in handy over the next few months. I'm proud to say we are already well on our way to finishing our first county!

Our first of many towels to embroider!

We are excited to have requests from over 45 counties across the state! This means that we need all the help we can get with donation sites and embroiderers. If you are interested, visit our offical website. We would love for you to be involved, even if you aren't right here in Lee County. We can't wait for the kids to have their new swimsuits and towels with their name on it for the summer. It's coming up so quickly!

Glitz, Glam, and Gowns

This past weekend we hosted our first annual "Glitz, Glam, and Gowns" event! The day was absolutely perfect. We had spent hours and hours preparing, and it was absolutely worth all the work. Our girls looked beautiful, and we loved getting to spend the day pampering them!

We had about 25 high school girls from all over the state come to the event. Upon arrival, they received a goodie bag with make-up samples and walked down the red carpet to the refreshment area. We are very thankful to our volunteers, Fresh Market, Chick-fil-a, and Panera for donating snacks and drinks to the event. After visiting for a while, the girls were invited back to shop for a prom dress. We had over 210 dresses available to the girls!

All of the dresses

After trying on many dresses, the girls got to pick one to take home at no cost. The next stop on the route was the Shoe and Jewelry room. Each girl was able to pick out a pair of shoes and some jewelry to match their new dress. After that, the girls headed to the Beauty room. Here we had volunteers waiting to do their hair, make-up and nails. Our volunteers could have been professionals- they did a great job teaching the girls how to recreate their look for the special night.

A volunteer giving a manicure to one of our precious girls

When the make-overs were done, the girls were invited to put their complete outfit on. We had a wonderful photographer who took glamour shots of the girls. We will mail these out to the girls to help them remember how to create their look on the night of their dance. It was so fun to watch the girls pose and dance around. They were glowing!

One of our great volunteers helping a girl tie up her dress

Our photographer showed the girls their photos after they took them so they could see how beautiful they looked. One sweet girl looked at her photo and started to cry. She said "I've never felt this beautiful before!" Tears came to my eyes too as I watched this stunning young woman twirl around the room. Countless others gushed about how they just couldn't believe they got to take the dress home! My favorite part of the whole day was watching the girls light up as volunteer after volunteer told them how beautiful and loved they were.

That is why we did this event. Not just to provide a dress for a high school dance, but to love on them and let them know that they are beautiful children of the Creator of the Universe. We are so thankful for the opportunity to share a piece of life with these beautiful high school girls!

The ladies of BigHouse

BigHouse is Three!

Happy Belated Birthday to BigHouse!

We turned 3 last Friday. To celebrate, we threw a surprise party at our Kids' Night Out on Friday night. The party was complete with balloons, decorations, cupcakes and ice cream. The kids had a blast! We are thankful for the past three years and cannot wait to see what the coming years have in store!

Girls working together on a Valentine's Scavenger Hunt

Playing with the balloons

We are so thankful for Cornerstone allowing us to use their church!

All in all, it was a fun night!

And we are right back in the swing of things at BigHouse this week. This morning we had our very first Food Bank pick up. BigHouse has taken on Food Bank ordering and pick up for the Lee County Foster and Adoptive Parent Association. It was so exciting to see all the families coming through this morning. We are excited to serve them in this way. It was a chilly morning (BigHouse with no heat still- brr!) but it was still great to see all of the smiling faces.

Here we go!

The new year is in full swing here at BigHouse! We have many exciting things in store for the next few months, so stay tuned for all the updates. Between the Swimsuit and Towel Drive starting, summer internship applications, dance class, Food Bank, and our teen girls' event, we certainly are busy over here on Samford Avenue.

As Micah mentioned, I'm Melissa. I am one of the interns here at BigHouse for the semester. Allison, the other intern, and I have loved getting to know Micah, Susannah, and the families involved at BigHouse. We are both seniors at Auburn majoring in Human Development and Family Studies. Hopefully I'll be able to keep you up to date with all of the things happening around here!

Last night we had a restaurant night at Chappy's Deli to benefit our "Glitz, Glam, and Gowns" event. If you haven't heard about this event, we would love for you to get involved. "Glitz, Glam, and Gowns," which I like to call GGG for short, is on February 25th from 10am to 2pm at Trinity United Methodist Church. Prom is such a special event for high school girls, and we don’t want them to miss the opportunity to attend their spring dance. Our goal for this event is to have prom and semi-formal dresses, shoes, clutches, and jewelry available to the girls at no cost. Along with getting a dress, we want this event to be a fun day of pampering for the girls, with hair, make-up and nail demonstrations. We would like to encourage them throughout the process of getting ready for their special dance by having volunteers help them find a dress and prepare for the night while fellowshipping with other girls. Each girl will be offered snacks and drinks while they shop as well as a goodie-bag on the way out to help them re-create the look for their event. We are thankful for Chappy's generosity for donating the proceeds from last night's dinner to our event. If you would like to get involved with GGG, let us know! We are very excited to love on our teen girls.

As Micah mentioned, we have our Kid's Night Out coming up on Friday. We'll post some pictures and stories from our birthday celebration next week!

And we're back!

Hey Friends-

I once again apologize for the long blog abscence. I think it's safe to say regular blogging isn't my strong suit. However- we are blessed to have interns at BigHouse this semester and one has so graciously offered to help us keep our blog up to date... Thank goodness! We have A LOT of fun things coming up this spring and Melissa will be checking in frequently to keep everyone up to date with BigHouse news! I am hoping to also occasionally pop in to share as well.

This spring is shaping up to be our best yet at BigHouse. God has continued to provide for our needs and has opened the door for BigHouse to grow and change. We have been averaging 50+ kids at our Kids' Night Out events this fall and winter and look forward to more this spring. We will also celebrate our 3rd Birthday this Friday with a Kids' Night Out Birthday Party! We feel so blessed to have made it 3 years and we know God has even bigger plans for BigHouse and our families! Can't wait to see what the next the next 3 years will hold!

Thanks for reading and please check back often- I feel certain Melissa will do a MUCH better job keeping you all "in the know" at BigHouse!

Much Love!!
Micah