127 PLACE
WHO WE ARE
127 Place believes one of the breathtaking parts of God's heart is God's desire to take care of orphans, vulnerable children and families. We believe we can accomplish more together than we can do alone. Our desire is to see all churches answering God's calling, impacting the lives of vulnerable children, their families, their communities, and the world.
What you should know
The High Points of Us
Our Name
"Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world." -- James 1:27
Our 501c3 non-profit seeks to be the James 1:27 place in the Roanoke Valley bringing Christian churches together to serve vulnerable children and “widows” in many ways. While we do have ties to international organizations, our work is primarily focused in our surrounding communities. Here are some of the things we do:
We support women
Of course, we will serve men with children as well, but most of the vulnerable families that we encounter are headed by women. Most of these families are living in motels while some are looking for a roof over their heads. Some are fleeing domestic violence while others are struggling financially because the poor don’t make enough to pay all their bills. Most can’t get into an apartment because of their credit score. When a major hurdle confronts them like a car breaking down or illness that results in losing their job, they have no resources to make it through.
Roanoke has high need
Roanoke has the largest foster care population in the state and Roanoke County/Salem City has the tenth largest population. Most of the children are not there because of abuse. Instead it is neglect. Often neglect is not what most people think. If a child does not have a home or a bed, it can be considered neglect. Poor single parents often find themselves in a position of not having the resources to provide what affluent families may consider to be basic necessities. The result is children going into foster care who need to be with the mothers who love them. Anything that can be done to support families who love their children avoid losing those children to foster care is a victory for everyone. It is also what God tells that pure and acceptable religion looks like.
CarePortal Community Champion
CarePortal is an online platform that connects struggling families with children to churches who are willing to help. Requests for help are posted by social workers at local departments of social services and other agencies like Total Action for Progress, The Roanoke Rescue Mission, The Blue Ridge Women’s Center, and a couple school systems. Community Champions fund some of these requests and partner with churches to make the delivery and form relationships with families. 127 Place also hosts a monthly meeting of the CarePortal Active Community on the second Thursday of each month from noon to 1:30. The location moves from church to church, so contact us to get the location for the next meeting!
Provide Trauma Training
Many organizations today say that they are “trauma informed,” but complex developmental trauma is a very difficult challenge to understand and to heal. 127 Place provides training based on the research of Dr. Karyn Purvis, the Christian guiding light for understanding children from hard places. There is a huge need for foster and adoptive parents, teachers, first responders, and just about anyone who works with children and the public to understand the impact of trauma on the developing brain.
Supporting the journey of foster care & adoption
One of the central early goals of 127 Place was to help those who choose the often challenging calling to open their homes to vulnerable children. Many people consider the call to foster or adopt; but because of cost, paperwork, fear, and many other factors; most people abandon the idea. We believe it can make a big difference to have people who have walked and are walking the path to help new families overcome the obstacles. We would like to be the 127 Place where families can find that support!
Partnering in Guatemala
The Haven Project is a fledgling program in Guatemala to support children who are leaving orphanages without support. The ultimate goal is to buy property and have a building that will house children leaving orphanages. The Haven will also provide training for these children, so that they will be able to support themselves as they enter adulthood. Of course, they will also learn the spiritual truths that will lead them to an eternity with Jesus! 127 Place provides a place where donations can be made toward those efforts.