Southwest Foster Care of Oklahoma
11,000… That’s how many children in Oklahoma are waiting for a foster home. Southwest Foster Care of Oklahoma is working to reduce that number to zero by offering traditional and therapeutic foster care placement options.
While many have a preconceived notion or stigma regarding foster care, Dianna Brown, executive director of Southwest Foster Care, hopes to clear that up with an awareness of the reality that thousands of children face every day.
“We are aware of the negative perception some have about foster care, and it is our hope to be a positive step toward changing that perception,” Brown says.
“We feel strongly that ‘if not us, then who?’ It’s time for more people to get involved and help innocent children who so desperately need it. Children who don’t know what it means to be safe at night; children who don’t know what it means to have someone put their needs above their own; children who may not know what unconditional love looks like; children who need someone to stand in the gap for them, understanding it’s not easy, but they are worth it.”
Brown says Southwest’s main purpose is to bring awareness to the overwhelming need for people to get involved with the children right here in this community, in the Oklahoma City and Tulsa area. 
That means they need your help, and there are several ways to get involved, from full-time fostering to weekend care or even volunteering time.
Foster families are needed all over the state, but Southwest’s primary focus is in the areas of Owasso, Collinsville, Claremore, Sperry, Skiatook, Oolagah, etc.—areas north of Tulsa.
All you have to be is willing, and Southwest will guide you from there. Their specific role is to recruit, train and support foster families to provide quality foster care for children in need.
“[We] provide all the training, etc., needed to become a foster parent,” Brown says. “For the children who require therapeutic services, our agency will provide those services for the children either at home, at school or in a group setting.” Southwest Foster Care has two locations, Owasso and Oklahoma City. To learn more, visit southwestfostercareok.com or check the out on Facebook (facebook.com/southwestfostercareok). If you know others who might be interested in helping, please “like and share” their Facebook page to spread the word.
In Owasso: 10310 N. 138th E. Ave., Suite 101; call (918) 376-4200.
In Oklahoma City: 4801 N. Classen Blvd, Suite 135; call (405) 848-0011.
