About Us
Fostering Faith for Foster Families
About Love For A Child
Love For A Child is a faith focused, 501c3, non-profit organization that serves children, youth, and families currently active within Michigan’s foster care system. Founded in 2012, the program focuses on impacting children of trauma, who have experienced different forms of abuse, abandonment, and neglect. Love for a Child has created and facilitates overnight camps, mentorship opportunities for children and youth, as well as, tailored resources for foster families to meet the specific needs within their care.
The program was designed to meet the child in their time of need through a one week, overnight camp, to gain trust and understanding. Each camp offering throughout Michigan selects 40 foster children to attend for the week. Our camps are hosted by over 200+ trauma informed, trained volunteers who selflessly dedicate their time and compassion for children in care. The focus is a week of royalty, celebration and teach children that no matter background or challenge, God’s protection can travel with the child wherever their story and journey takes them. The next step allows each child to enter a mentorship program, where they are seen in monthly sessions by a committed Love for a Child mentor to serve and support the child. Whether it is a holiday, birthday, graduation, sun shining or cold winter day, we are there for each child to provide leadership, guidance and a forever friendship. Many children in foster care will move homes throughout their journey and we hope to be a constant throughout the changes, and for many, a traveling family to children living in fear. Love for a Child offers tailored resources to each foster family within our program to serve the greater purpose and need.
Love for a Child was created from the Biblical story that God sent His only Son to us as perfect love, and that we would live our days to serve and raise children to know such love. Our purpose within our program be that example to groups of very deserving foster children. In a World where they are often overlooked, the child becomes our only focus. We believe Kids should be Kids and that through God’s love, hurt can be healed by hope and the loss can be filled by actions of authentic love. For everything we do is, authentically, wholeheartedly, Love for a Child.
Joe & Michelle Savalle
Founders & Executive Directors | Oxford, MI
From the cozy Great Lakes State of Michigan, The Savalle’s serve as Love for a Childs Founders and Executive Directors. Collectively they have hosted camps and programming for near two decades. As leaders, their purpose is to help foster children find faith, while keeping focus on creating fun-filled, childhood memories that kids deserve. As they teach with their own children, they live foundationally on the Bible verse found in 1 Corinthians 16:14,”For let love be at the center of all we do.” Joe and Michelle established, created and lead each camp planted with the heart for foster children and adults, to find individualized purpose, while becoming closer in relationship with Jesus.
Emily Daenzer
Director | Frankenmuth, MI
Emily has always had a passion to serve children and teach children that they are valued, seen, and loved. Emily studied Early Childhood Education and has devoted years to showing the love of Jesus, to her kindergarten students. As a dedicated volunteer with Love for a Child, it was within her heart to continue following her purpose and calling by becoming part of the expansion into Frankenmuth. Having visited the magical Christmas town since birth, Frankenmuth holds a very special place that is near and dear to her heart. She is excited to be in the community, building connections, using her charismatic and infectious personality, to help bring awareness, support and share the message of faith to children of foster care living in the central area of our state.
Megan Walby
Mentorship Director | Oxford, MI
Megan, raised in a home of a survivor of child abuse, grew a foundational understanding and heartfelt interest for children of trauma. For the last decade, professionally, she has devoted a career in Early Childhood Development serving children and youth of different ages and demographics. Megan has a defined purpose to serve the kids within our programming with integrity, character, honor and a drive to share the true love of Christ, with every child. Her compassion to care, experience and faith all works perfectly in unison to be an inspirational testimony for a child of foster care seeking guidance.
Trevor TerHaar
Director | Zeeland, MI
Trevor has a degree in adolescent development and health from Hope College (Holland, MI). He believes all kids should have their own hope and faith in Jesus Christ. Trevor uses his passion for youth with another nonprofit called, The 3 Mile Project in Grand Rapids. He also serves at church as a youth group leader. Trevor is excited to be making a kingdom impact in his own hometown. Trevor is excited to build and foster a community that loves Jesus and serves His children in foster care.
Bella Larsen
Office & Project Coordinator | Oxford, MI
Bella, having dealt with childhood trauma, has a deep desire to spread moments of hope, unfailing love, and the understanding that she has found through Jesus. She feels passionate to remind and instill in children, that God’s story for them begins in their testimony, and there is faith in His plan for us. With a degree in fine arts and Christian ministries, she delights in walking alongside children in order to create an environment of safety, gentleness, and love. Love for a child is a purpose within her that has changed her life and is an opportunity to bring a heart of hope to children of foster care.
