“Give justice to the poor and the orphan; Uphold the rights of the oppressed and destitute.” ~ Psalm 82:3
Leah DeLanoy, is the Founder and Director of Uphold Homes, Inc. Leah and her daughter Reagan live in Bainbridge, which is located in Southwest Georgia. Leah was born and grew up on the East Coast of Florida, where her family still resides. Leah and her two younger sisters were raised by a single mom who worked meager jobs to take care of her three daughters. Such an upbringing provided Leah with the unique insight that makes her uniquely qualified as an advocate for children in distressed family situations. Leah's mother will tell you that even as a small child, Leah never took "no" for an answer and thrived on finding a way to make things happen. Those traits of persistence and independence have been a guiding force throughout Leah’s life and have led her to founding Uphold Homes, Inc.
Leah began her journey into the Child Welfare system as a volunteer for Florida's Guardian Ad Litem (CASA) program. It was during her time with this program that Leah watched as over-worked and under paid case managers seemingly forgot that the children and families on their case loads were not files or tasks to be completed, but actual human beings who needed assistance. Seeing these individuals, who were placed into a government system, with people they have never met, in places they have never been, and with no control or say over their circumstances, drove Leah’s passion for advocating for children and their best interests.
Years later, Leah was hired as a Resource Development Case Manager for Georgia's Department of Family and Children Services. This position allowed her to recruit and train families that desired to become foster parents or adoptive parents. Leah loved that her position allowed her to get to know each foster family individually as she could place a child with a family, confident the child would be loved and cared properly. At the same time, Leah experienced how office politics, bureaucracy and sometimes blatant disregard for compassion and empathy negatively impacted the lives of the very ones it was supposed to protect. Even when faced with hostility and a lack of cooperation from peers, Leah continued to open more foster homes than anyone in her region. She always advocated for the best interest of the child above and beyond anything or anyone else and never apologized for doing so.
Leah's hope and prayer is that Uphold Homes, Inc. will pave the way for change in our local and statewide child welfare system. Leah cannot do this alone. She needs dedicated, loving & compassionate foster families to come along side her and serve their communities’ most vulnerable citizens, our children. #UPHOLDTHECAUSE #WEARETHEVILLAGE
Leah began her journey into the Child Welfare system as a volunteer for Florida's Guardian Ad Litem (CASA) program. It was during her time with this program that Leah watched as over-worked and under paid case managers seemingly forgot that the children and families on their case loads were not files or tasks to be completed, but actual human beings who needed assistance. Seeing these individuals, who were placed into a government system, with people they have never met, in places they have never been, and with no control or say over their circumstances, drove Leah’s passion for advocating for children and their best interests.
Years later, Leah was hired as a Resource Development Case Manager for Georgia's Department of Family and Children Services. This position allowed her to recruit and train families that desired to become foster parents or adoptive parents. Leah loved that her position allowed her to get to know each foster family individually as she could place a child with a family, confident the child would be loved and cared properly. At the same time, Leah experienced how office politics, bureaucracy and sometimes blatant disregard for compassion and empathy negatively impacted the lives of the very ones it was supposed to protect. Even when faced with hostility and a lack of cooperation from peers, Leah continued to open more foster homes than anyone in her region. She always advocated for the best interest of the child above and beyond anything or anyone else and never apologized for doing so.
Leah's hope and prayer is that Uphold Homes, Inc. will pave the way for change in our local and statewide child welfare system. Leah cannot do this alone. She needs dedicated, loving & compassionate foster families to come along side her and serve their communities’ most vulnerable citizens, our children. #UPHOLDTHECAUSE #WEARETHEVILLAGE
Uphold Homes, Inc. Mission
Our mission at Uphold Homes, Inc is simple. To train, equip and serve compassionate Foster / Adoptive families and individuals to care for children.
Our hope is that each family we work with is willing to meet families in their time of crisis, and not only care for the child(ren), but also encourage and minister to the biological family when fostering. Many times the families we come in contact with have no support systems. It is fundamental that our partnership families, along with our local community members, come together using the resources's they have to put an end to child abuse and neglect. WE must take a stand and ensure that our communities children, our most vulnerable citizens, are safe and remain safe.
