What happened at Possum Trot? Remarkable story shows how we can solve America's problems. (2024)

We’re looking for the wrong solutions to America’s biggest problems. It’s true of poverty, homelessness, mental health, addiction and so much more. Given the scale of these challenges, we tend to assume they need even bigger answers − massive programs and taxpayer support. But after decades of taking that approach, America’s problems have gotten worse.

What if the solutions are biggerandsmaller than most people think?

What happened at Possum Trot

That’s the message of “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot,” a movie released this week. Named after a town in East Texas and based on a true story, it follows the story of dozens of local children who were taken from their families and put in foster care. Their lives were hard, and foster care made them harder. The kids were seemingly destined for a life of violence, jail, addiction, poverty and, in many cases, death.

But the town didn’t let that happen. A local pastor, Bishop W.C. Martin, and his wife, Donna Martin, adopted two of the kids, then called on their friends and fellow parishioners to step up.

What happened at Possum Trot? Remarkable story shows how we can solve America's problems. (1)

All told, 22 families adopted 77 of the hardest-to-place children in the local foster system.

That was nearly three decades ago. While many of the former foster children are still dealing with the trauma of being taken from their families, the majority of them have grown to become thriving adults.

Children languish for years in foster care

What happened at Possum Trot? Remarkable story shows how we can solve America's problems. (2)

It wouldn’t have happened had they stayed in the system. Each year, more than 600,000 kids spend time in foster care. Even one day in foster care is proven to be disastrous for a kid’s long-term outcomes. But 60% of children in foster care are in the system formore than a year.

Up to4 out of 5 foster kidshave mental health issues, and 1 in 5 who age out of foster care become homeless before age 20.

I survived the foster care system.Dismantling it altogether is the only path forward.

These horrible outcomes happen despite decades of reform efforts and large-scale funding. Combined federal, state and local spending for child welfare services, which is largely about foster care, soared by about 120% betweenthe mid-1990sand2020.

The federal government is paying formore programson everything from mental health to substance abuse to skills training. Despite this massive investment, foster care still looks like an unsolvable problem.

But this problem is solvable. The town of Possum Trot showed how.

Strong communities hold key to solving big problems

The solution to foster care − and all of America’s biggest problems − is the power of relationships. Social scientists call it “social capital,” while others call it “strong communities." Whatever name you use, we’re talking about people helping people on an individual basis. And while that seems small, when you scale up relationships nationwide, it’s the biggest solution imaginable.

In Possum Trot, a single church changed the lives of dozens of families and children. But there arenearly 400,000 churchesin America. If each one helped just one of the roughly 400,000 kids in foster care at any one time, the problem could be largely solved overnight.

And it’s not just about religious institutions. There are accessible ways for people to save kids from the lifelong struggles of foster care, all through the power of people helping people.

Americans are running away from church.But we don't have to run from each other.

I’ve seen the proof in communities across the nation.

National Angels provides local support to foster families, making them 50% more likely to avoid burnout while providing more stability for the kids.Another group, Safe Families, helps kids avoid foster care altogether, pairing trusted families with moms and dads who are struggling to provide for their kids. They take care of the kids for a few weeks or months while the parents get back on their feet.

Remarkably, most of the families are reunited, compared with less than half in foster care. In both cases, the relationships made all the difference.

Then there’s CarePortal. It connects local churches and community members with struggling families in real time, getting them the resources they need to provide for their kids. If a family can’t afford food, car seats or anything else their kids urgently need, neighbors swoop in so that child services doesn’t need to.

Surely there are many other groups I don’t know about that are making a big difference by applying the same insight.

Can something similar happen with other seemingly unsolvable problems? Absolutely. Homelessness, addiction, gang violence, poverty − they’re all made worse by the loss of community. The solution is to create community, which all of us can do. No amount of government spending or programming has done that, nor can it, for the simple reason that government action isn’t big enough. The bigger and better solution starts somewhere much smaller yet much more powerful: everyday Americans.

What happened at Possum Trot? Remarkable story shows how we can solve America's problems. (3)

Evan Feinberg is senior vice president of Stand Together and chair of the Stand Together Foundation.

What happened at Possum Trot? Remarkable story shows how we can solve America's problems. (2024)

FAQs

What happened at Possum Trot? ›

Angel Studios' latest film, Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot, follows the unbelievable true story of Donna and Reverend Martin who encouraged 22 families in Possum Trot, TX to adopt 77 children in the foster care system.

What is a possum trot? ›

: a plan of a house in two parts with a breezeway between compare dogtrot sense 2.

What is the story of Possum Trot? ›

What is the story behind possum? ›

After returning to his childhood home, a disgraced children's puppeteer is forced to confront his wicked stepfather and the secrets that have tortured his entire life.

Is Possum Trot Texas based on a true story? ›

Angel Studios' “Sound of Hope: The Story of Possum Trot” tells the true story of a small Texas town where, led by the example of a local pastor and his wife, the locals adopted 77 of the hardest to place foster care children and orphans in the area's foster care system.

Why is it called possum? ›

p-aʔθemwa) meaning "white dog or dog-like beast." Following the arrival of Europeans in Australia, the term possum was borrowed to describe distantly related Australian marsupials of the suborder Phalangeriformes, which are more closely related to other Australian marsupials such as kangaroos.

What happened to possum trot toys? ›

The story goes that beginning from the eighties and all through the nineties, it was kept only as a sewing factory and Possum Trot didn't make toys anymore. Rumor has it, they make military uniforms now.

What started the fire in Possum Kingdom? ›

The Storage Fire, burning south of Possum Kingdom Lake and 9 miles west of Palo Pinto in Palo Pinto County, started on June 28, 2023, and is suspected to be human-caused and is under investigation. Sunday morning, the Texas A&M Forest Service declared it was "80% contained."

What is the monster in possum? ›

Philip is haunted by a horrific spider-like marionette in his possession, called "Possum", which he keeps in a leather duffel bag.

What does the puppet mean in possum? ›

Possum means to play dead. Phillip was playing "dead" with the puppet. Phillip is Maurice's puppet, but a puppet cannot be blamed for what the puppeteer has it do. Phillip has created Possum to avoid becoming a "puppeteer" like Maurice; sublimation.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Last Updated:

Views: 6005

Rating: 5 / 5 (70 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Dean Jakubowski Ret

Birthday: 1996-05-10

Address: Apt. 425 4346 Santiago Islands, Shariside, AK 38830-1874

Phone: +96313309894162

Job: Legacy Sales Designer

Hobby: Baseball, Wood carving, Candle making, Jigsaw puzzles, Lacemaking, Parkour, Drawing

Introduction: My name is Dean Jakubowski Ret, I am a enthusiastic, friendly, homely, handsome, zealous, brainy, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.