Welcome to the COBYS Blog

Welcome to the COBYS blog! We wanted to have a spot where we could keep you all up to date with what is going on at COBYS Family Services, provide news and detailed information about the care and services we provide, and of course tell you the stories of the kids and families we serve that make it all worth it.

For those of you who might have more recently connected to COBYS or maybe you just need a refresher, here’s an overview of who we are and what we do. There are hundreds of kids in Lancaster County and the surrounding region in foster care, there are families facing struggles with no support or blueprint to success, there are individuals who need a hand up. We’re called to provide care for them. Our mission statement is “Called by Christian faith, COBYS Family Services educates, supports and empowers children and adults to reach their full potential.” It is why and how we do what we do.

• We provide a range of foster care, adoption, counseling and family life education services in Lancaster County and surrounding communities. We also provide specialized case management services for Lancaster County Children and Youth through our Permanency Unit.
• Uniqueness is important to us. We take special care to get to know our clients, the kids and families we serve, to make sure we are providing compassionate care that makes sense for each person.
• Trauma Matters – We get it. Everyone has a story, where situations, actions and reactions have reasons behind them. As a trauma-informed organization, we are here to help. To provide dignified service with hope for the future.
• Messy Matters – Foster care and other situations that bring people to COBYS can be messy. We supply support when things get out of reach, life’s messy moments. On top of that, much of our work is directly tied to the county and state-run children and youth systems of foster care. These systems are not the easiest to navigate, they are messy. Given this, there are bumps, detours and roadblocks along the way to finding permanency and forever homes for children who need them. The good news is that we have become experts in our more than 40 years of service at navigating the systems and advocating for the best outcomes possible.
• Our Calling Matters – Providing social services to children and families at risk is not a glamorous job but it is necessary and many of our staff feel a calling to this work. Providing care that goes above and beyond the bare bones services covered by government social services takes additional monetary donations. With the support of generous donors, COBYS is a non-profit organization committed to provide care with compassion, dignity and hope.

We hope you’ll check in with us every now and again, perhaps learn something new, see the results of your financial support of COBYS, even learn about a service you can forward on to a friend or acquaintance in need. If you would like to join our email or mailing list, you can complete this easy contact form to stay up to date.

Thanks for joining us on this journey.