Home for every child
For years now, the foster care system has struggled to make any significant improvements. The history of failures within this system is long:
Amy was raped by her drug-addicted cousin when she was eight. Then, when she was eleven, she was raped by her mother's alcoholic boyfriend.
Eleven-year-old Matt is beaten daily by his mentally unstable mother and has to visit the E.R at least once a month!
To escape the harsh reality of poverty, 15-year-old Jenifer started dating an older man but he got her pregnant and then deserted her.
The list goes on and on. Children wind up stumbling through the system, and the outcomes are far from ideal. On average, foster children will move from one foster home to another between 4 and 5 times. Every time, they move from one school to another too, falling behind their peers academically and socially. Already caught up in challenging emotional situations, they often do not learn how to form the connections that they need to thrive later in life. These children are crying out for our help, and we for one can’t ignore them. It’s heart breaking to think about all of the young people who feel hopeless – who only ever know the pain of rejection. This contributes to the higher rates of attention deficit disorders, stress syndromes, and medical issues observed in foster children. By the age of 24, 20% of foster children become homeless, and 70% of foster girls become pregnant before the age of 21.
Half of all foster teenagers become drug addicts. 30% serve time in prison. These numbers are unacceptable. Fortunately, I have devised a solution: it’s called S.I.L Group Home. The S.I.L stands for Significant, Important, and Loved, which is precisely how I want all of our foster children to feel. In a safe, nurturing environment, our foster children will receive the stability, warmth, and emotional support that they so desperately need, encouraging happiness and mental balance. Our children will be able to access the resources they need, including a private room, a big brother/big sister program, YMCA membership, psychotherapy, group therapy, anger management, religious freedom, vacation days, summer camps, an allowance, tutoring, financial education, summer internships, cooking courses, and most importantly, stable relationships. There is no way to overstate how much these foster children need our help. We can give them a chance. We can’t do this alone. I are turning to you and asking you for your support as we work to raise the funds to open the first S.I.L Group Home. Together, we can make a difference in these children’s lives. We can fight back against the horrors of this system once and for all.
This is our life’s mission and we hope you can help me bring it to life. Join us because only together can we make a difference in these children’s lives!
