THELEAVEN.ORG | VOL. 44, NO. 37 | MAY 12, 2023
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
Michelle Roesner, a University of Kansas senior, visits with a 16-year-old in the foster care system on April 29. Some 25 students from the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas spent a half day in fellowship and activities with 30 young residents, ages 13 to 18, at O’Connell Children’s Shelter Ranch in Lawrence.
‘MAGICAL EXPERIENCE’
KU students enjoy outing with kids in foster care program By Joe Bollig joe.bollig@theleaven.org
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AWRENCE — How could the day be any better? Teenagers and college students were setting up volleyball nets, playing catch and just “chilling” together under a clear blue sky on a spring morning. It was a relaxed and amiable day on April 29 at O’Connell Children’s Shelter Ranch on the eastern side of Lawrence. Some 25 students from the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center at the University of Kansas spent a half day in fellowship and activities with 30 young residents, ages 13 to 18, at O’Connell. The agenda was nothing more than that: fun and friendship. “It is really a magical experience, seeing the young people interact,” said Gina Meier-Hummel, O’Connell executive director. “The kids who we serve so often feel alone.
“They don’t have anyone outside of [the staff ] who work with them day in and out and spend extra time with them. Many of them aren’t connected to family anymore, don’t have anyone to visit and are disconnected from friends. The time the college students come to hang out with them is important . . . to let them know other people truly care about them.” One of those was 14-year-old Noah, who had only been at O’Connell for more than a month. “It’s pretty fun,” said Noah (not his real name). He never expected, he said, to be playing volleyball with college kids — not least of which because he didn’t even play the sport! But he joined right in, and when he saw there were fewer people at the second, more distant net, Noah went there. He found the KU students to be relatable and fun. “They’re adults, but they’re not adults, if you get what I’m saying,” he said.
The big picture In Kansas there were 6,261 youths in foster care in 2022 according to the website at: foster carecapacity.com. The total number of licensed foster homes in Kansas was 2,289. Other children were placed with relatives, nonrelatives or in congregant care. There are many reasons why children end up in foster care, according to the Kansas Department for Children and Families. The two broad categories are abuse and neglect — neglect including the death or incarceration of a parent, parental substance abuse, caretaker inability, and a child’s behavior or disability. The children who are placed in residential care, hospital care or higher-acuity care have some highly significant needs, according to Meier-Hummel. Children >> See “IT GIVES” on page 7
LEAVEN PHOTO BY JAY SOLDNER
KU students, including senior Nolan Bemiss (above) from the St. Lawrence Catholic Campus Center, join foster kids from O’Connell Children’s Shelter Ranch for a game of football.