A Los Angeles filmmaker who was a foster kid as a child is bringing her short, 16-minute film to Colorado Springs on Saturday to do a screening of “Adopting Faith” during the Film & Foster Fair for people interested in foster parenting or otherwise supporting foster children and families.

“We’re thrilled to create an event that not only showcases the importance of foster care but also empowers individuals in our community to take meaningful action,” Erin Dooley, the filmmaker, said in a statement. “The goal is to inform, inspire and connect people to the organizations that are making a real impact in the lives of foster children.”

The event will begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Gabriel the Archangel Catholic Church, 8755 Scarborough Drive in Briargate.

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Although it is being held at a church, it’s not a church event, said Julie Bailey, director of the Respect Life Apostolate of the Catholic Diocese of Colorado Springs.

“It’s aimed at anybody in the community who has curiosity about hosting foster youth and wants to learn about foster families,” she said.

“Our hope is it answers a lot of questions for those who have been perhaps timid about entering into foster care or supporting foster youth because it’s an unknown and it seems scary. We’re hoping to show them there are many ways you can support these youth — it doesn’t only have to be as a foster family.”

Tables by local agencies, including Safe Families for Children, Lutheran Family Services, Court Appointed Special Advocates of the Pikes Peak Region, Hope’s Promise, Fostering Hope, and Hope and Home, will provide information on how it all works.

Not everyone is meant to foster children, but many people want to help — and that’s where Fostering Hope comes in, said Executive Director Brian Newsome.

“Fostering Hope is not here to recruit foster or adoptive parents — we’re here to support the families who already are,” he said. “Our volunteers walk alongside them like extended family, helping make daily life more sustainable.”

When the different parts of the system all come together, the contributions from adults in the community bring “stability, enrichment and connection — three things that help children heal from developmental trauma,” Newsome said.

“It means a safe, calm home, experiences that build confidence and the simple joy of being seen by someone whose eyes light up when you walk in the room.”

The film, presented by D.A.S.H. Entertainment, explores some of the challenges, solutions and rewards of foster care work.

Nationwide, estimates are that between 368,000 and 390,000 children are in foster care because they have experienced abuse, neglect or other adverse conditions at home.

Locally, 318 children and youth are in traditional foster care in El Paso County, according to Department of Human Services spokesman Paul Myers-Bennett.

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But in total, 723 children and teens are in out-of-home care countywide. In addition to foster placements, that number includes kinship care, hospital stays, juvenile detention settings and other non-parental placements.

Adolescents are more difficult to place than younger kids for reasons that encompass general misconceptions, challenging behaviors of teenagers and past trauma, Myers-Bennett said.

As of last week, El Paso County had active placement searches open for 62 children and youth. Of those, 39 were adolescents needing long-term or near-term placement.

“This doesn’t mean those youth are without any placement today, but rather that they’re seeking a more stable, longer-term placement option,” Myers-Bennett said.

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Up to half of children in foster care who age out of the system, usually when they turn 18, become homeless, statistics show, but in Colorado, foster homes can provide further assistance.

“If a person even has just an hour a month available, he or she can help,” Dooley said. “People can help make a difference and change the trajectory of a child’s life.”

El Paso County Department of Human Services contracts with 34 child placement agencies and also runs an in-house foster care program.

“We have a need for foster homes that are willing and able to support the needs of adolescents,” Myers-Bennett said. “Additionally, we are always looking for caregivers who can be respite foster homes to provide support to other foster providers.”

The Film & Foster Fair is free and open to the public, though RSVPs are requested at https://tinyurl.com/FosterFairCS.