BECAUSE RELATIONSHIPS WORK
We Connect Those Who Need Help With Those Who Can Help
Together for Good (TFG) was founded in 2017 by Maridel Sandberg. Her vision was to create pathways for the local church to walk alongside vulnerable families and children in Christ-centered ministry.
She hoped to provide life-changing relationships that protect children and help build stability for vulnerable families.
Today, TFG has five locations in four states and a team of professional staff who train volunteers in culturally competent, trauma-informed caregiving and manage each case.
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What Drives Us
DO GOOD
We want to help followers of Jesus live out Isaiah 1:17, "Learn to do good; seek justice; correct oppression; bring justice to the fatherless, plead the widow's cause."
LOVE OUR NEIGHBOR
God calls us to defend, visit, and care for widows and orphans—to love those who are isolated, without family or community. We believe Christians are called to walk with the hurting and rejected—those who are in distress.
MOBILIZE THE CHURCH
We want to reignite the vision and purpose of the early Church by providing an opportunity for the Church to love our neighbors.
The Upstream Approach
Our goal is to intervene in crisis situations before children are harmed. We want to come alongside families who are struggling in order to build relationships and strengthen parents so that foster care is not the only option. This is known as the "upstream approach."
At Together for Good, our vision is that no family would face overwhelming circumstances on their own. Instead, we wrap around vulnerable families to care for both children and parents, creating an opportunity for everyone to stay together in safe, healthy relationships.
Together for Good prioritizes child safety, followed by family preservation. We know that systems and programs are in place to respond when children are harmed; our goal is to wrap around families to prevent that harm from ever occurring.
When an already vulnerable parent experiences a crisis, such as job loss or hospitalization, TFG volunteers provide a safe place for their children to stay while the parent works to stabilize after the crisis.
If a medical or mental health need arises, children can stay with friends made through Together for Good rather than strangers. If a parent is struggling with addiction, they can choose treatment with confidence and peace, knowing their children will be well cared for.
This upstream approach is accomplished through our network of volunteers. Together for Good creates pathways for volunteers from local churches to come alongside vulnerable families in Christ-centered ministry.
Being "upstream" means parents are empowered and supported. It means children are protected. It means the Church can live out the biblical call to serve our neighbors.
We put relationships at the center of our services.
Because we know that without relationships, services will ultimately fail to meet the needs of struggling families.
Research consistently points to the connection between community and a sense of belonging and the health of a family. Parents who perceive that they are socially isolated and alone are "associated with a 71% increase in the odds of parents physically neglecting their children. Additionally, a one-unit increase in parental perceived social isolation was associated with an 84% increase in the odds of emotional neglect." These statistics, published in a study by the National Institutes of Health, showed that social isolation was a stronger predictor of physical neglect than job loss.
Research behind the TFG model
Frequently Asked Questions
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