It’s unfortunate that more than 4,00,00 children in the US are in foster care. In Arizona alone, the number is 13,400. There are many reasons why a child may be placed in foster care. Neglect, abuse, and harassment by parents or guardians, are common reasons, while abandonment is not every uncommon either. That said, it’s not easy for these kids and teens to be in foster care, and not everyone can decide to become a foster parent. However, you can still help and support. There are organizations that are working for kids in foster care, and they are looking for any possible assistance they can get, from charitable donations to volunteers.
In this post, we are discussing further on how you can help children infoster care.
- There is no denying that financial assistance and donations are the most generous ways to support overwhelmed organizations that are helping kids in foster care. You can also choose to donate in kind. Just talk to a local charitable organization and ask them about what they need, which could be simple eateries, to books, stationery, and even gadgets. Whatever you can afford, choose to donate.
- Volunteer. If monetary assistance is not your thing, decide on becoming a volunteer for these organizations. A great idea would be to become Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA), so that you can represent a child’s best interests, and this can help decision makers in finding the ideal permanent homes for many children. You can also choose to collaborate with organizations and help them with their day-to-day needs.
- Data shows that many children placed in foster don’t often end up doing great as they grow up. We can change that. If you have a skill set that can help these kids, you can consider mentoring as an option. You can mentor a current or former teen, who has been in foster care.
Help in other ways
Foster parenting can be really hard, and even the best people need a break once in a while. You can sign up to become a respite parent, who will offer assistance and take care of the child when the parents are not around. You can check with local organizations to know more on how to become a respite parent.
When you can, consider the idea of becoming a foster parent – you can help a child become the best version of himself/herself.
