Charity Highlight: Fostering Community
Fostering Community works to improve the lives of children impacted by foster care through a holistic approach to supporting foster children and their families from the initial entry of children into foster care to their exit from the system. We recruit new foster parents and pair them with experienced mentors who support them on their foster care journey by providing information, resources, and ongoing support through their first placement. We also equip foster parents with trauma-based information and trainings, so that they can bring hope and healing to the children they are welcoming into their home. At DCFS offices, Fostering Community provides first night supplies so that children have clothing and hygiene supplies when they first enter foster care.
We recently moved into a beautiful new space that houses The Foster Care Closet, a small library, and all of our programs. We host birth family visitations, foster parent support group meetings and trainings, coffee and conversation meetups, youth community nights, and fun events. When foster parents welcome a child into their family, Fostering Community provides a freezer meal for their first night and resources from our Foster Care Closet, a free boutique for children in foster care. We provide beds, baby gear, clothes, shoes, diapers, school uniforms, hygiene supplies, toys, and more. While children are on their foster care journey, they can visit with CASA advocates and their birth parents at Fostering Community. The welcoming environment inside Fostering Community and our outdoor playground are the perfect place for parents to bond and make memories with their children. Nikki, a young mom who visited her daughter at Fostering Community, said, “Thank you for allowing us to visit at your space. When I was a child, I was in foster care, too. I wish I had a place like this where I could have visited with my mom. I love it here and want to volunteer and help you guys at Fostering Community.”
There are almost 4,000 children in foster care in Louisiana and about 400 spread across the 8-parish Alexandria region. Last year, Rapides Parish had the highest count of child abuse and neglect cases in the state. Most of our programs are focused in the Alexandria region with some available statewide. Children in foster care range from newborns to 23 year-olds. Fostering Community’s Youth Partners are 15-23 year-olds who have had experience in the foster care system. Youth Partners are directly involved in critical thinking, decision making, planning events, and advocating on behalf of youth in our community. Young adults also have the opportunity to learn life skills, cooking, and more at Fostering Community events. Each month, we host a themed Youth Community event with fun activities and games. At our first youth community event, an attendee named Chloe said “I didn’t know there were other teens in foster care. I thought I was the only one.” At each event, adults who were former foster youth share their stories and help encourage and empower our current and former foster youth. We are working to ensure that young people who exit the foster care system exceed current outcomes and become successful young adults.