RELIGION THAT GOD ACCEPTS AS PURE AND FAULTLESS IS THIS: TO LOOK AFTER ORPHANS AND WIDOWS.”
James 1:27
Here’s Why Foster Parents Need And Deserve Our Community’s Support
Foster families can go from two kids at the dinner table to five around the breakfast table – a transition that starts with a late-night phone call, followed by scared, sleepy kids showing up on the doorstep, and foster parents who will say “Yes,” to setting aside comfort and routine for a while to stand in the gap with vulnerable kids.
Sadly, nationwide nearly half of foster parents who go through the effort to become certified quit within the first year, often due to a lack of community support.
South Dakota Kids Belong partners with Governor Kristi Noem’s Stronger Families Together campaign to create a more Foster Friendly state, one that equips leaders in government, business, faith communities and civic organization to create a Foster Friendly state where the experience of foster families looks more like this:
- Government leaders, following the lead of Gov. Kristi Noem, prioritize “improving the experiences and outcomes for children and youth in foster care.”
- Tribal communities are supported and encouraged to …
- Faith and civic organizations show up with care packages and groceries when foster families take on a new placement
- Local restaurants offer discounts on children’s meals.
- Children in foster care enjoy discounts on practical needs like haircuts, school supplies and shoes; as well as such experiences as a photographic sitting, and area recreation and attractions.