Sedgwick County proclaims Gathered Strong Day as group outlines rising foster-care caseload and continuum-of-care grant

Sedgwick County commissioners on Nov. 5 adopted a proclamation declaring Nov. 5, 2025, as Gathered Strong Day to recognize the nonprofit's work supporting families and vulnerable children.

Jay Hedrick, executive director of Gathered Strong Sedgwick County, accepted the proclamation and described the organization's approach and recent results. "It's truly an honor to accept this proclamation on behalf of Gathered Strong," Hedrick said. He told the commission that three years ago the local foster-care population was about 1,306 and that "the latest number that I've read is more like 1,494," signaling an upward trend in placements and placement instability.

Hedrick said Gathered Strong won a Department for Children and Families grant to run a local continuum of care for vulnerable children and families and has recruited more than 50 partner organizations. He described work groups focused on prevention, faith-community engagement and a demonstration project at Stanley Elementary that co-locates supports with school staff so families can be matched to services before cases escalate to court referrals.

Commissioners praised the collaborative model and urged continued focus on behavioral-health supports, placement capacity and cross-agency coordination. Commissioner Meitzner said recent roundtables highlighted service gaps tied to juvenile behavioral health, and other commissioners noted state policy changes they said have complicated placement pathways.

The proclamation was approved by unanimous roll call. Hedrick and other Gathered Strong representatives thanked the commission and said they will continue coordinating with courts, schools and county service providers to reduce unnecessary entries into foster care.

The commission paused briefly after the proclamation for photographs before returning to regular business.