EAST LANSING, Mich., July 19, 2017 – Bethany Christian Services, a global nonprofit committed to bringing and keeping families together, has announced the opening of its East Lansing, Michigan branch office. The agency’s satellite office, which has been active for 15 years, recently transitioned into an independent, full-service branch offering foster care and adoption services.

Bethany has had a presence in mid-Michigan since 2002, starting with a single, part-time pregnancy counselor. Today, the branch has expanded to include 12 employees, supporting eight different counties on a regular basis and providing services to approximately 60 children per day. The branch already has 37 licensed foster homes and several approved adoptive families.

In conjunction with launching the new branch, Rachel Lewis has been announced as Bethany’s East Lansing branch director. Lewis started with the Bethany team in 2011 and has worked in a variety of roles of increasing responsibility within the agency prior to being named branch director. Lewis is a Lansing native and serves as the president of the Lansing School District Board of Education.

“The Bethany mission is clear, children want nothing more than to belong to a loving family, and many families want nothing more than to open their arms to a child,” said Lewis. “Our goal is provide the hope, guidance and support for children and families in order to achieve permanency. I look forward to leading this local Bethany branch as we continue to engage and serve the mid-Michigan community.”

Services currently offered at the East Lansing branch include foster care case management, foster care, adoption services, foster home licensing, pregnancy counseling and domestic infant adoption. For more information on the services offered in East Lansing, visit www.bethany.org/east-lansing.

About Bethany Christian Services Bethany Christian Services was founded in 1944 and has grown to 120 branch locations in 25 states. The agency serves approximately 1,200 children annually nationwide in foster care programs and provides services across a continuum of care. Bethany’s mission is to find a loving, permanent home for every child, working to reunite children with their biological families or place children in permanent adoptive homes. For more information, call 1-800-BETHANY or visit bethany.org.

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