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National Foster Care Month
Each May, National Foster Care Month provides an opportunity for people all across the nation to focus attention on the year-round needs of American children and youth in foster care. The campaign raises awareness about foster care and encourages many more citizens to get involved in the lives of these youth – whether as their foster parents, volunteers, mentors, employers or in other ways.
National Foster Care Month is sponsored by a partnership of organizations from across the country. The National Foster Care Coalition is a leading collaborator within the National Foster Care Month Partnership.
Campaign Goals:
Each May, National Foster Care Month provides an opportunity for people all across the nation to focus attention on the year-round needs of American children and youth in foster care. The campaign raises awareness about foster care and encourages many more citizens to get involved in the lives of these youth – whether as their foster parents, volunteers, mentors, employers or in other ways.
National Foster Care Month is sponsored by a partnership of organizations from across the country. The National Foster Care Coalition is a leading collaborator within the National Foster Care Month Partnership.
Campaign Goals:
- Raise awareness about the magnitude of the issue and the urgent and sustaining needs of children and older youth in foster care and their families;
- Issue a national call-to-action that motivates, inspires and facilitates many more Americans to come forward and help change a lifetime for a young person in foster care; and,
- Develop a positive framework for maintaining visibility and interest in the foster care issue to support the year-round efforts of the National Foster Care Month Partner organizations and other child welfare agencies.
It is time to reflect on some of the successes for the children, families and foster families involved. There are some amazing stories out there, stories of families that overcame struggles, stories of young people who only overcame adversity--adversity many adults couldn’t handle—but who are now becoming leaders of our nation’s future; stories of foster parents with un-limitless commitment and organizations and agencies that dedicate their good works to these kids. Click here to listen to some of these amazing stories. It’s also a time to think about how far we still have to go, how we can do better—better for these children and better for our nation in 2012.
On any given day there are more than 400,000 children in foster care. If you were able to bring together all these children into one city, this city would be the 43rd or 44th biggest city in the United States. This city made up of foster children would be bigger than cities like Miami, Pittsburg, St Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Honolulu. Over the course of a year nearly 700,000 children spend at least some time in foster care and that makes this population of children and youth bigger than all but 18 U.S. cities.
Approximately 254,000 will leave foster care this year, nearly 128,000 will be reunified with their families, another 52,000 will find new loving families through adoption and 36,000 will stay with a guardian or with their families through kinship care. But at the same time 28,000 youth will leave foster care because they became too old and they “aged” out of foster care and 1500 will runaway. Another 254,000 will enter foster care and replace the ones that left. Far too many will spend the entire year in care.
The National Foster Care Coalition hopes you will use this month to recognize this important and forgotten issue and these children.
On any given day there are more than 400,000 children in foster care. If you were able to bring together all these children into one city, this city would be the 43rd or 44th biggest city in the United States. This city made up of foster children would be bigger than cities like Miami, Pittsburg, St Louis, Cleveland, Cincinnati, Minneapolis, New Orleans and Honolulu. Over the course of a year nearly 700,000 children spend at least some time in foster care and that makes this population of children and youth bigger than all but 18 U.S. cities.
Approximately 254,000 will leave foster care this year, nearly 128,000 will be reunified with their families, another 52,000 will find new loving families through adoption and 36,000 will stay with a guardian or with their families through kinship care. But at the same time 28,000 youth will leave foster care because they became too old and they “aged” out of foster care and 1500 will runaway. Another 254,000 will enter foster care and replace the ones that left. Far too many will spend the entire year in care.
The National Foster Care Coalition hopes you will use this month to recognize this important and forgotten issue and these children.
Whats Going on Around the Country
One Simple Wish Hits the Road
One Simple Wish is a non-profit organization based out of Trenton, New Jersey that is dedicated to granting wishes for foster children and families in need.To recognize May as Foster Care Awareness Month they will be hitting the road and going on tour to 30 cities in 30 days to grant 30 wishes. In addition to granting 30 wishes they hope to highlight some other great organizations in the country that are also working toward bettering the lives of foster children, and to also shed light on some of the more positive stories that have come out of the foster care system. To learn more about their 303030 tour check it out at
www.303030.org or visit their website at www.onesimplewish.org
www.303030.org or visit their website at www.onesimplewish.org
