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Our Focus on Philanthropy

Posted on December 26th, 2018

It’s that time a year when you’re likely getting lots of mail and emails regarding “Year End Donations” – It’s also likely you’ve recently received some of those from Child Advocates.

During 2018 and beyond we’re focusing on philanthropy at Child Advocates and want to help you understand what exactly that means for the children we serve.

Over the course of 2018, Child Advocates served over 8,000 children who were removed from their home because of life-threatening abuse and neglect. This number is reflective of only Marion County. Child Advocates serves nearly a 1/3 of the entire states child welfare cases in a single county.

With that being said, we need the support of our community to help us make a difference in the lives of our children. The children we serve have come into the child welfare system through no fault of their own. They need us and the community to ensure they will find their way into safe and permanent homes as soon as possible. They need to know they are valued and cared for if we hope for them to become successful adults.

 

How will your donations be put to use and make a difference?

Very simply, donations allow for the recruitment, training and support of 700+ CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) Volunteers each year. Those volunteers will be assigned to the cases of children in custody of the state – serving a critical role in ensuring that no child slips through the cracks of an overburdened system. They’ll see to it that each child is given the rights and opportunities he or she deserves while in care. They’ll serve as a dedicated set of eyes and ears to a juvenile court judge who will ultimately decide the permanent placement for a child. Maybe most importantly, they’ll be a ‘constant’ in a child’s life during this unstable, and often scary, time.

Children with a CASA Volunteer do better in school, spend less time in long-term foster care, and are less likely to re-enter the system. We believe all children deserve the right to a safe and permanent home where they can thrive and that’s why we’re asking for your help and support now and throughout the coming years to help give hope and promise to our children and their futures.

What happens if children do not receive the support they need?

  • Half of foster youth won’t graduate high school
  • Less than 3% will go to college and 50% will be unemployed by age 24
  • 71% of female foster youth are pregnant by age 21
  • 1 in 5 foster youth will be homeless 2 years after aging out of foster care at 18
  • 4 in 5 foster youth are incarcerated by their mid-twenties.

How does this also impact the community?

  • $300,000 in community costs for every child who does not successfully transition into adulthood due to higher rates of unemployment, unplanned pregnancy, criminal conviction, and public assistance.

Child Advocates is a private non-profit organization, which means that donations are critical to the existence of our program. That’s why philanthropy and community support is at the heart of what we do. We have built a solid reputation as a community partner, friend and diligent steward to your funds. Our cost effective volunteer advocacy model allows us to provide essential services to children in foster care at a very low cost.

We realize how many incredible organizations and noble causes there are out there. And we realize that you have a choice when it comes to which ones you get involved with and support. We hope you’ll consider giving to Child Advocates, to our children, our community, and our future. Click the button below to show your support and give today.