Connect Our Kids’ Post

May is Foster Care Awareness Month, an opportunity to advocate for the needs of children in care and empower them to reach their full potential. It's about ensuring they have access to essential services, educational opportunities, and the support they need to thrive. By investing in their well-being and development, we invest in the future of our communities. There are many ways to get involved and make a difference during Foster Care Awareness Month and beyond: •Support Foster Families: Offer assistance, encouragement, and resources to foster families in your community. •Advocate for Policy Changes: Advocate for policies that improve the foster care system and support children and families in need. •Volunteer: Volunteer your time with organizations that support children and youth in foster care, such as mentoring programs or advocacy groups. Let's honor the dedication of foster families and professionals who work tirelessly to make a positive difference in their lives. Together, we can build a brighter future for every child, ensuring they grow up in safe, loving, and supportive environments. #FosterCareAwarenessMonth #CelebrateFosterFamilies #EmpowerTheFuture

🌟 Celebrating National Foster Care Month 🌟 This May, Unleashed Brands Foundation is committed to ensuring every child in foster care has the opportunity to be a great kid. With over 430,000 children navigating the foster care system, the need for support and compassion is immense. Our efforts range from hosting free birthday parties for kids affected by the foster system, to building essential duffel bag kits in collaboration with Foster Love - Together We Rise. We also collect essential items for Chosen Ones and raise awareness alongside our friends at CASA. Each initiative is a step towards fulfilling our belief that all kids deserve to live a life of care and dignity. Here’s why National Foster Care Month matters: 👀 Highlighting the Need: It brings to light the challenges foster children face and emphasizes the necessity for safe, nurturing homes. 🎖️ Honoring Foster Parents and Supporters: We salute the selfless foster parents and organizations dedicated to providing stability and love. 🤝 Empowering Communities: By participating, whether through volunteering, mentorship, or advocacy, you contribute to building supportive networks for foster youth. 📣 Advocating for Change: This month sparks important conversations and actions aimed at enhancing the foster care system to ensure every child thrives. Join us in making a difference. Together, we can help foster children not just survive, but thrive. 💙 #FosterCareMonth #UnleashedPotential #UnleashedBrandsCares #FosterAwareness

🌟 Today is National Foster Care Day! 🌟 Did you know that there are over 400,000 children in foster care in the United States alone? In North Carolina, there are thousands of children in need of loving homes, and in Mecklenburg County, that need hits close to home. Every child deserves stability, love, and support, and you can make a difference. Consider opening your heart and home to a child in need by becoming a foster parent. Together, we can create brighter futures and change lives. In my book, The Compassionate Companiom, I share critical insight from former and current foster and adoptive parents as well as adult children with lived experience, which helps you understand the “real deal” - what’s it really like to be a foster parent and what you can expect. You can get it on Amazon OR you can complete this form and get a free consultation with me to help you consider this huge step in one’s parenting journey, why it’s important AND what to expect. Click here: https://lnkd.in/eJmjPyic #NationalFosterCareDay #FosterCareAwareness #MakeADifference

Many children in foster care have faced unimaginable challenges and are placed in care by court order due to abuse, neglect or exploitation. Foster parents play a crucial role in providing these children with safe, temporary homes and the nurturing they desperately need. Want to make a lasting impact this new year? Explore the world of fostering and discover how you can be a beacon of hope for a child in need: https://bit.ly/3oXdvFO

The mission of Every Child Indiana is to be Hoosiers' guide to foster care and adoption so it can be easier to get involved. Every Child has gathered liscensed agencies like Choices, volunteer organizations, advocates, and the Department of Child Services to fill the biggest gaps in caring for children and families before, during, and beyond foster care. Read how EVERYONE can get involved, not just future foster parents: https://lnkd.in/gdgiCbGv

If creating better outcomes for children in foster care is ‘your vibe,’ you’ve found your corner of the internet. Allow us to introduce ourselves, if we haven’t already met. We’re Connect Our Kids, a technology nonprofit dedicated to equipping child welfare professionals with cutting-edge tools to quickly connect children in the foster care system with their extended families and natural supports. ❓How we do this… 🔎 Our People Search tool allows social workers, family recruiters, and CASA volunteers to quickly discover contact and relationship information for the extended families and supporters of children in foster care. This search uses public information from over 300 sources and covers over 3 billion people. 👪 Our Family Connections tool is a visual relationship mapping tool used to build out and engage with networks of extended family members and other natural supports for vulnerable children and their families. Working together has never been this easy. ▶️ Do you want to learn more?? DM us or email us at hello@connectourkids.org. #TechNonprofit #SocialWork #FosterCare #TechnologyForGood #Family #Innovation

Foster care news you need to know ⬇ 1. A $1M housing voucher program is expected to pay at least 70% of rent for 100 youth with foster care experience in Colorado. 2. Aging-out foster youth will soon be able to choose their families while keeping important foster care benefits due to new law in Kansas. 3. An additional $5M in funding has been approved for the Fostering Independence Program that will help pay for college for former foster youth in Minnesota. Have you heard other news impacting youth in foster care? Share below 👇 #FosterCareNews #FosterLove #FosterCare

Did you know? The Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas holds 65,000 people. Multiply this by six and you get 390,000, which falls short of accommodating the 400,000 kids in foster care today. Nationwide, there are only half the amount of homes needed to house them. One of the reasons for the shortage is that 50% of new foster parents quit within the first year, with many stating lack of community support as a reason. That's where our Foster Friendly program comes in. We help increase foster parent retention by equipping businesses, churches and entire communities to support and encourage local foster families. As a business leader, you can make a huge difference in the lives of foster families and the children they serve through: A) Corporate sponsorships Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gpG2DDsC B) Offering discounts to foster families on our free Foster Friendly App Learn more: https://lnkd.in/gasfpedz Join the movement and let's make sure these local heroes receive the community support they deserve! #fosterfriendly #nfl #superbowl Statistics source: Lifesong for Orphans

If you didn't realize already, May is #FosterCareAwarenessMonth! Traditionally, for Foster Care Awareness Month, the goal is to educate and inform friends, families, and communities about who they might know who has been impacted by foster care, but also to share important, unknown, and sometimes misrepresented information about foster care. There are many widely accepted beliefs about the most “negative” or “detrimental” outcomes of foster care. In this video from the Selfless Love Foundation Permanent Connections convening last fall, I share about a concept I originally wrote about in Dr. Elizabeth Wynter's book “Follow the Love” The concept is the “Skill of Needing People" If we are raising awareness about Foster Care this month - the good, the bad, and the in between - then I think we MUST raise awareness so we can address the unforeseen and life-impacting outcome of "not needing people." This habit or skill was in direct conflict with my own belonging journey, as well as the belonging journey of many others impacted by the system, youth and adults alike. Belonging CANNOT happen in isolation. #Belonging #FosterCare #AwarenessMonth #Speaker #NeedingPeople

WASHINGTON: Cody was a toddler when he was adopted. As a teenager, he re-entered foster care upon his adoptive parents’ untimely passing. He was in between foster care placements when he expressed his heartfelt wish to know his birth parents’ names. Using Connect Our Kids, the Washington Department of Children, Youth, and Families (DCYF) Specialized Adoption Recruiter for Cody not only eventually uncovered his birth parents’ names but also located Cody’s large biological family, including a half-sibling who only lives 30 minutes away! Cody is overwhelmed with emotion over this life-changing discovery. If you’re using our software, your feedback or Impact Story is important to us. If you’re a supporter, know that your contributions are changing lives across the country. To read the full story and how our tools helped, click on the link: https://lnkd.in/g5s9Nk9z Thousands of children and youth are waiting for a forever home. Help connect them to safety and belonging: https://lnkd.in/e_nVzqds. #ConnectOurKids #FosterCare #TraumaRecovery #Mindfulness #Homelessness #Technology #MentalHealth #Trauma #TraumaHealing #ConnectOurKidsTechnology #ChooseConnection #Connections #Belonging #Unity  #FormerFosterYouth #AdoptionSupport #FamilySupport #Washington #BiologicalFamily #LifeChanging