And because of the current state of affairs, the urgency of finding families for foster children will not be placed on hold. Even during a global pandemic. In fact, these unprecedented times only amplifies the need for every child to have a supportive family. A family they can rely on during uncertain times. A family they can connect with when fear creeps in and insecurity weighs heavily. Having a supportive family is critical for us all to survive life’s great challenges.
Less than 3% of foster youth receive a college degree. And right now, colleges around the country are shutting down their campuses in an effort to flatten the line. They are moving to online teaching platforms and closing their doors. This includes the dormitories, the only home these young foster youth have. And at the same time, the foster care system is a direct pipeline to homelessness. In Los Angeles alone, there are 15,000 kids who are homeless. Additionally, because of the opioid epidemic, there are thousands of grandparents who are raising their grandchildren, who are now at high-risk of contracting the Corona virus. Being mothers, we can only imagine the panic these kids feel during “normal” times and our concern is increasing by the minute as the current state of emergency unfolds.
Every child in this country deserves to have a loving family, and with your support, we are committed to making this an American reality. Every penny our organization raises over the next 60 days will go directly to our pilot program that is serving foster children in Texas, Florida, Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, and Virginia. This pilot will fine tune our technology and prepare the platform to be widely available across all 50 states in 6 months. We ask that you help us get foster youth off the streets and connect them to extended family and people who will care for them during the good times and hold them tight during uncertain times.
With the unusual activity swarming around our home offices today, we are reminded of how lucky we are to have the unconditional love of our families. We feel lucky to live in an age where modern technology provides the tools we need to work from anywhere in the world—including in our commotion-filled homes. Needless to say, we have our computer mouse looming over the mute button while working via Zoom video conference as we remain committed to bringing smart technology to the process of finding families for foster children.
You can help from home, too. Donate $25, $50, $100 today— every dollar counts.
