Courageous Love Commencement

Courageous Love was founded in 2024 as a 501c3 Non-Profit Ministry, inspired by the personal experiences of Andrew and Lindsay Crust as foster parents in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Recognizing the unique challenges faced by foster parents—particularly the difficulty in accessing necessary resources, finding respite care, and managing the emotional toll of fostering—Andrew and Lindsay sought to create a ministry that would address these needs through faith-based support and community engagement. Since its inception, Courageous Love has been committed to providing essential and tangible items for children who have experience in the foster system.

Did you know there are currently over 408,00 children in the United States foster care system?

Foster families in Colorado face significant challenges, particularly in accessing essential resources, respite care, and educational support. According to the Colorado Department of Human Services, there are over 4,000 children in foster care across the state, with many foster parents struggling to meet the demands of providing for these children. The challenges are significant, but with the proper support, these families can provide the nurturing, stable environment that foster families need to thrive. Courageous Love addresses this critical need by providing comprehensive support services that foster families can rely on.

About 213 youth aged out of Colorado's foster care system each year between 2017 and 2021. More than a third of foster youth who leave the system in Colorado are homeless by age 21. By age 19, 29% of foster youth in Colorado have been incarcerated. 

So why is it so important that we as a community should step up and help fight against these problems? Why is it so hard for foster parents to courageously love these kids? 

The top 3 reasons why foster parents choose not to renew their fostering licenses are:

1. Lack of Support
   Many foster parents feel unsupported by their agencies, leading to burnout and frustration. A significant number report feeling isolated and lacking the emotional and practical support needed to handle the challenges of fostering. This lack of a supportive network often results in parents leaving fostering sooner than expected.
2. Burnout and Stress
   The emotional and physical demands of fostering can quickly lead to burnout, especially without access to adequate respite care. Regularly managing the needs of foster children, coupled with the responsibilities of their own families, can overwhelm foster parents. The constant stress and lack of time for self-care make fostering unsustainable for many families.
3. Inadequate Training
   Many foster parents feel they are not adequately trained to handle the complex behavioral and emotional needs of the children in their care, particularly when fostering older children. The absence of comprehensive, trauma-informed training can leave foster parents feeling unprepared and unequipped, contributing to the decision to close their license.

Due to these challenging obstacles, the national average duration for which foster parents remain licensed is around 2 to 4 years. In Colorado, foster parents tend to stay licensed for a similar duration, typically between 2 and 3 years. 

Our mission is to provide for children who have experienced significant trauma. This trauma is typically related to:

-physical abuse

-sexual abuse

-labor trafficking

-sex trafficking

-abandonment

-severe neglect 

-drug exposure

Our vision is for foster families to gain renewed purpose and resiliency to reflect Christ’s love, grace, and healing to every child and parent. 

With the commencement of Courageous Love, we are excited to begin this journey and partner with local foster agencies, foster parents, church communities, volunteers, and donors. Your donations will fund many services to meet these unfulfilled needs. For further information about our specific services, head to our website. 

We hope you prayerfully consider donating to help our ministry become the hands and feet of Christ as we serve our local foster families. 

Thank you for your prayers and support. 

Andrew & Lindsay Crust