OUR STORY
We believe that God has a plan for every child: <<For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11>>
Thus, we want to obey God by responding to His call to care for vulnerable children and help them find the plan that God has for their lives. With this call on our hearts, we founded “Rise Together” at the beginning of 2018. We need to rise up and work together for the good of vulnerable children!
WHO WE ARE
Istvan Muntean – Founder and President
When Istvan was 3 years old, his dad abandoned him at a big orphanage in Romania. The life there was hard, and he couldn’t see a hope for his future. However, God changed this by blessing him with people that took care of him and loved him when it seemed like no one else wanted to be around him. The most important period of time that Istvan saw God help him was when he was out of state care protection and had to be by himself.
Istvan desired to start Rise Together because he wants to be a blessing and example for other kids and teens who are on the same journey that he was.
Alina and Istvan have been married since 2012. Together, they have two biological sons and are fostering a daughter.
Alina Muntean – Family psychotherapist, TBRI Practitioner,
Alina started to work with orphans when she was 16, and she wanted to build trusting relationships with orphans and to be a support for them. She chose to study psychology because she wants to help these kids have hope in their God-given future. She also went on to study Family Psychotherapy because she has seen how the family is a good environment for the healing of trauma. In 2018, Alina became a TBRI (Trust Based Relational Intervention) Practitioner at Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development. She also continued with the Feuerstein Method because she knows that there is HOPE for vulnerable children.
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