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Meet Nicole Taylor of Congregations for Kids

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Today we’d like to introduce you to Nicole Taylor.

So, before we jump into specific questions, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I started my career in television news but since I was little, had a connection to orphan care. I believe it was something put on my heart from an early age. When I left the news business, I began working with a nonprofit, RetailROI, telling stories about vulnerable children throughout our world. I had the opportunity to travel to several countries and meet amazing people.

I really thought that the things kids faced here in the US couldn’t compare w/ the kids I had met on my travels. Then about four years ago, my husband and I became foster parents and my focus drastically shifted to our own city. The United States orphanage is the foster care system so it looks very different compared to other countries. The kids in the foster system are so fiercely protected, they’ve almost become invisible. People are not aware of their stories, their challenges and the grim statistics they face when they don’t have permanency. Two years ago, I took the role of executive director at an organization called Congregations for Kids (CFK). CFK has a direct relationship with Mecklenburg County Youth and Family Services that enables us to provide hope and support for children in our city’s foster care system. Primarily we work to create relational support for each and every child in care. We do that through four different pathways; Foster, Mentor, Serve and Give. www.CFKnc.org.

Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It has been a struggle. We primarily work with Churches – being the bridge between the foster care system and people of faith. I originally thought it would be easy to expose the need and plug people into help but what I’ve learned is that there is so much misinformation about “foster care” that our primary role has been education and advocacy. Working with a government agency comes with a lot of red tape and to make things happen usually takes longer than is necessary. On the flip side, many times people want to help by “donating a backpack” or doing a serve event…a one time “check the box” sort of event and move on. In the work that we do, we look to create relational support for these children and young adults. They ultimately need a person, a human being to care for them and love them… it’s what they need for survival —- not necessary another backpack filled with stuff.

Congregations for Kids, Inc. – what should we know? What do you do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Focusing on relationships for these kids isn’t an easy task – it takes time and patience. We run a mentorship program called Weekend Miracles that really puts these kids in the driver seat sort of speak. This once a month event lets them meet a group of trained mentors, participate in a fun activity, eat a great meal and mingle with the group. At the end of the event, the kids are surveyed to see who they liked or made a connection with. That information is used to strategic partner the child and mentor at the next event. Slowly, and as organically as possible, a lasting relationship develops. We’ve seen tremendous life change for the children who have connected with a mentor through this program. We often say it’s not a numbers game – a typical match takes 6-9 months to form – rather, this is a life game. We want these kids to have someone they can count on regardless if they reunite with family, move to a new foster home or never get adopted.

What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
In 2019, we started an event called “We See You Charlotte” – this event, for me was our greatest accomplishment so far b/c we were able to honor front line workers…social workers, judges, foster parents, adoptive parents, guardians ad litem, and advocates. We honored them through an inspirational keynote speaker, tons of giveaways, ridiculous celebration, food and networking time. This work can be very challenging and lonely and to bring together, this community was an honor for the CFK team.

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Image Credit:
Congregations For Kids, Inc.

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