THE TOOL BOX
Imagine building a foundation for your home without the tools necessary for the task.  The tool box you've been given is missing the most essential tools, and the few tools it has are broken, rusty and outdated.  This is reality for teenagers aging-out of the foster care system. They are expected to build foundations for their adult lives with the damaged tools they've been handed after years of transitioning from foster home to foster home.  It is no wonder the statistics of those aging-out of the system are so dismal. 
      The number of young people aging-out of foster care in America is increasing rapidly.  Much more needs to be done in the area of transition and support services after they turn nineteen.  Below are a few agencies making a differnce in the lives of these young people by changeing the tools in their tool boxes. If you wish to get involved, whether as simple as donating clothes, time or money, or as vital as adopting or fostering a child, these agencies below will quide you in the right direction for your level of involvment.

AGENCIES

http://www.casey.org/
Fostering Families, Fostering Change
Casey Family Programs provides and improves and ultimately prevents the need for foster care.

http://www.cwla.org
Child Welfare League of America
We envision a future in which families, neighborhoods, communities, organizations, and governments ensure that all children and youth are provided with the resources they need to grow into healthy, contributing members of society.

http://www.adoptuskids.org
A national database of children awaiting adoption and families approved to adopt. The AdoptUSKids website allows families to search for children, and workers to search for families, throughout the United States. The site also includes comprehensive adoption information for families and many features to assist social workers.

http://www.blackadministrators.org
Black Administrators in Child Welfare (BACW)
BACW is a nationwide, non-profit organization dedicated to improving the lives of African American children and their families who are gravely overrepresented in the nations child welfare system.

http://www.treehouseforkids.org
Treehouse. Giving foster kids a childhood and a future. Treehouse makes a difference in the lives of foster children by supplementing their material needs, helping them learn and giving them a real childhood. Six Treehouse programs serve abused and neglected children in King County: Tutoring, Little Wishes, Educational Advocacy, Summer Camp, Coaching-to-College and the Wearhouse.

http://www.NFPAinc.org
The National Voice of Foster Parents
The National Foster Parent Association is the only national organization that strives to support foster parents and remains a consistently strong voice on behalf of all children.

http://www.fostercaremonth.org
National Foster Care Month in May provides an opportunity for people all across the nation to get involved, whether as foster parents, volunteers, mentors, employers or in other ways. It is also an opportunity to show our appreciation for the dedication of the foster families who care for these children and youth and the social workers who support them.

 

 

 

 

 
 

 RISE AWARD

     Dashawn is honoring 100 children in care, between ages 13 and 19,  with the RISE Award.  This award recognizes children in care who are not defeated by their their circumstances, but rather excel in the class room, on the athletic field and who are active in extracurricular activities in school or in their communities.  Each young person will receive a RISE hooded sweatshirt, a copy of the book And Some RISE Above It and a certificate of recognition.  This award is not about grants or scholarships, it is about recognition.  Recognition is the spark to self esteem, and esteem is the most essential ingredient for passion.  Once a young person's passion is ignited, they can achieve great things.

If you would like to nominate a child, please contact Dashawn at odp@andsomeriseaboveit.com