Our hearts are broken. As a community, we are collectively mourning an unspeakable tragedy—the heartbreaking death of a precious infant and the unimaginable trauma endured by nine other children. This moment has pierced the very soul of our county, and the ripple effects of this sorrow are being felt in homes, schools, churches, agencies, and hearts throughout our entire region.
This is not just a headline. It is the unbearable loss of a child. It is nine young lives shaped by pain they never should have known. It is a wake-up call—loud and clear—that our child welfare system, stretched to its limits and made up of imperfect but deeply human people, is crying out for attention, compassion, and change.
As foster and adoptive parents, and through our advocacy with The Compassion Connection, we have stood at the intersection of beauty and brokenness. We’ve seen children find healing homes, and we’ve seen children fall through cracks that should not exist. We know the system isn’t perfect. But more than that, we know it is filled with people—social workers, case managers, police officers, volunteers—who carry tremendous burdens, often in silence, and often with little thanks.
Today, we want to pause and acknowledge:
- The deep grief of our community—those who knew these children, those who didn’t but feel the weight of their suffering just the same.
- The justified anger over what was allowed to happen, and the systems that failed to prevent it.
- The silent suffering of law enforcement, caseworkers, emergency responders, and caregivers who walk into homes like these, not knowing what they will find, and who carry the emotional scars long after the headlines fade.
And now we must ask, what can we do?
Because pointing fingers is easy—but building a future where children are safe, loved, and protected is the harder, nobler work we are all called to do.
Here’s how we can begin:
- Pray for the children who survived—for their healing, their peace, and their futures.
- Support those on the frontlines—our caseworkers, officers, foster parents, and emergency teams—who see what most of us never will and keep showing up anyway.
- 💗 Get involved—by fostering, donating, mentoring, volunteering, or simply showing up. No act of compassion is too small.
- 📣 Advocate for real change—funding, training, mental health care, oversight, and the tools and support our workers need to do their jobs well.
This tragedy must not be in vain. These children matter. Their lives matter. The infant we lost mattered. If our response is only grief or only outrage, then we’ve missed the call. This moment demands more of us—it demands compassion in action.
Let’s rise—not to tear down, but to build up.
Let’s not be a community that turns away from broken systems—but one that leans in, speaks up, and stands in the gap for vulnerable children and the people tasked with protecting them.
Because the answer is not silence. And it is not blame.
The answer is us.
Together, we can be the kind of community where tragedy doesn’t get the last word—and where love, justice, and compassion prevail.
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