Celebrating Foster Care Awareness
May was National Foster Care Awareness Month in the United States, where there are close to 400,000 children in the system at any given time. More than 100,000 of them need adoptive families.
While there are thousands of foster families who provide care to children in the system, there’s always a need for more families—and the first step to attracting new families is making them aware of the issues and needs of children who need foster care.
If you have considered foster care but you’re not yet sure about taking the plunge, here are eight ways you can help spread awareness:
1) Consider posting to Facebook, Twitter, personal blogs, and other social media outlets about the needs of foster children in your community, state, and the nation. Change your profile picture to one that symbolizes foster care. Social media is a wonderful way to reach hundreds of people.
2) Contact Agape and other child welfare agencies in the area and ask how you can help. We love to engage community members in this important work. Get plugged in!
3) If you are a member of a church, community group, or organization, consider collecting items for children, youth, and families involved in the child welfare system. Promote this throughout your church or organization.
4) Contact local churches about providing information in their bulletins or announcements regarding foster care and how they can get involved.
5) Business owners can promote foster care awareness by hosting events that raise funds for local foster care agencies. Through efforts by local businesses, customers will become aware of foster care, and businesses will have an opportunity to positively impact the community they live in and serve.
6) Get the kids involved! Consider having your children volunteer at charities that provide for the needs of foster children. They can also do things like setting up a lemonade stand that promotes foster care awareness or collecting toys for kids in the system.
7) If you work in education, dedicate a lesson to learning about foster care, child abuse, neglect, or child welfare issues. Consider inviting a guest speaker who is a child welfare professional or a foster parent.
8) Know your facts. Take time to research the needs of the system, and the numbers of children, youth, and families impacted by it. The more you know, the more you can positively and factually educate others.
While May is the dedicated month for promoting Foster Care Awareness, the need is always there year-round.Through your efforts, you can make a difference in the life of a child.
