Partnership Highlight: Voices for Children
photo courtesy of RDNE @ Pixels
PARTNERSHIP HIGHLIGHT
Partnership Highlight: Voices for Children
Often, those most in need struggle to get their voices heard.
For more than forty years, Voices for Children (VFC) has sought to change that. A national organization, VFC helps transform the lives of abandoned, abused, or neglected children by offering them critical support and advocacy within and without of the foster care system. It strives to ensure that every child can find a safe and loving home.
As the foster care system becomes increasingly strained, we’re proud to support VFC in its unwavering commitment to help all young people receive the care they need.
photo courtesy of Kindel Media @ Pixels
Care Through Advocacy
VFC began in 1980 to help transform the lives of children in foster care through Court Appointed Special Advocates, or CASAs. Every CASA is a dedicated volunteer who is licensed, trained, and appointed by a judge. While professionals deal with many cases, CASAs work with just one child or sibling group to build strong relationships and a thorough understanding of that child’s situation. As advocates, mentors, and forces of stability, CASAs play a pivotal role in the lives of foster children.
Once assigned to a child, CASAs get to know the child one-on-one, assess their living situation, and present comprehensive recommendations to judges based on the child’s unique situation. This is especially crucial when a child enters foster care for the first time, encountering a new place to live and court hearings. The experience can be isolating and overwhelming, and CASAs become adults they can trust and turn to.
CASAs fill a range of roles as problem-solvers and caregivers. They can encourage teens to participate in extracurriculars and graduate from school, or they can ensure that children get the medical care they need.
One person can change a life, and the presence of a CASA can help children become more likely to find a permanent home, do well in school, and avoid re-entering the foster care system.
Nationally, there are 939 CASA programs operating throughout the United States with over 97,000 volunteers. VFC serves over 242,000 children annually.
The organization’s work remains increasingly crucial, as crises like the opioid epidemic have ruptured families and the foster care system struggles to provide for all of the children. Currently, on any given day, there are more than 407,000 children in foster care.
Being within the foster care system can have a detrimental impact on a child’s physical and mental health, with foster children experiencing higher rates of behavioral issues, toxic streets, obesity, and cardiovascular issues, among other serious outcomes. Foster children also face disproportionately higher risks of incarceration — 25% are estimated to become involved with the criminal system two years after leaving foster care.
Funding for a Brighter Future
BFF has supported VFC for more than ten years, helping provide funds to provide licensing and training for more CASAs. We’re involved in Uplifting Voices, the annual spring fundraiser, and we’re chairing the 2023 fall fundraiser, which will raise additional proceeds to help VCF get closer to its mission of ensuring every foster child has a CASA.
Last year, the fall gala raised more than $1.85 million in gross revenue for VFC and the CASA program.
Are you working on a project that helps elevate, educate, and inspire young people? We’d love to learn about your efforts. Apply for a BFF grant today.
