May is National Foster Care Month, and JFS Connecting Hearts is partnering again with CBS 6 on a multimedia awareness campaign! Keep an eye on JFS Connecting Hearts’ Facebook page and watch CBS 6 to see interviews with Richmond foster families!

Right now, there are 729 children and youth in central Virginia’s foster care system. They represent all races and genders, and most are age 13 or older. A national study recently found that 30% of youth in foster care are LGBTQ. Some want to return to their birth families, some want to be adopted, some want to strike out on their own. No matter their end goal, children in foster care all need loving adults in their lives.

Do you want to help youth in foster care?

No matter what your family looks like, you can be a foster family! Single or married, gay or straight, Black or white, young or old – anyone with the time and love to give can foster a child with the right training. JFS Connecting Hearts is working diligently to find foster families who reflect the full diversity of central Virginia! There’s a kid in foster care out there who would be a great fit in your family. You probably have a lot to teach them!

Foster families welcome a child into their home and family, and far more. Foster parents encourages the child in their interests, includes them in new experiences, and advocates for their goals. Some children in foster care want to reunite with their birth families, and their foster family supports them – and often their birth families too – while caring for the youth in their home.

There’s a seat at the table for you!

There are many ways to help kids in foster care without being a full-time foster parent. Ask your city or county’s Department of Social Services if they offer respite foster care training; you can host a child in foster care when their foster family takes a break. If you happen to know a foster family, offer to help them out! Small things like dropping off a casserole, or even big things like hosting a school supply drive, can make a huge difference for a foster family. Getting involved with Big Brother, Big Sister or becoming a Court Appointed Special Advocate are also great ways to be an advocate for youth in foster care.

Whether you can give an hour, a week, a month, or a lifetime – there’s a seat at the table for you. Reach out to Cate with JFS Connecting Hearts today at chawks@jfsrichmond.org or (804) 349-0783 to learn how you can help youth in foster care!