By Haley Miller
The Cooper House, a nonprofit home that provides support for children and families in the foster system, will host its first in-person fundraising event on Sept. 17 at Lucas Estate in Carmel.
The Bright as the Noonday Soiree will include a live auction, music, dancing, dinner and drinks. Brooke and Kyle Howe, co-founders of the Cooper House, said they want to raise $90,000 or more.
“We’re completely funded by the community,” Kyle said. “We have no contracts with anyone, so the community literally funds our mission here.”
The nonprofit’s mission formally began in 2019 with the founding of The Cooper House, two years after the Howes first became foster parents and learned about gaps they could help fill in the system.
The Cooper House, 239 S. Eighth St. in Noblesville, now serves as a free location for parents pursuing reunification to receive ongoing support and have supervised visits with their children.
“The statistic is that 50 percent of foster children are on track to be reunified with their parents, and so the Cooper House wants to rally around that family as support, so that way those kids are going back to a thriving home when they are reunified,” Brooke said.
The Cooper House also offers mentorship and Bible study for parents, as well as emergency removal support.
The emergency removal program allows children who have been removed from their previous home to wait in a comfortable, safe space while their case worker finds a new placement.
“It takes a little bit of the trauma off of the kids when they can come to a home-like environment and have volunteers here focus solely on them,” Brooke said.
Funds raised from the Bright as the Noonday Soiree will mainly go toward operating funds and programming. The event will run from 7 to 11 p.m., and individual tickets are $150.
Those who wish to support The Cooper House but cannot attend the event can donate to the website, thecooperhouseindiana.com.
“Our mission is to foster hope for families by providing support and encouragement in their time of crisis, while also helping them discover the love and hope of Jesus,” Brooke said.
