| What is it that makes the Holidays so special? It is a time when people take time from their busy schedules to think of family and those they care about. The Holidays can truly be a wondrous time. Through the eyes of a child, the Holidays are seen as magnificent glistening lights, pretty packages all wrapped up in fancy paper, all sorts of decorations everywhere, holiday songs being sung and special surprises and treats for everyone. During this time of year, children’s television shows appear that tell wonderful of kindness and show families sharing love, laughter, and togetherness. It is an enchanting and magical time. Even the busiest of us, find ourselves singing along or humming to the caroles being played in department stores and on radio stations. Throughout the holidays many of us find moments of peach and silence as we think back over the years past. Visions come to mind that seem only to come during the holidays. Our senses seem keener that ever with the sights, sounds and smells that are present this time of year. Visions that run through our heads include snow flakes gently falling to the ground, a warm fire with logs burning, hot chocolate, and the smell of pumpkin pie. Since it is near the end of the year, many reflect on what they have done throughout the year that is almost over. The Foster Children’s Foundation (FCF) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to help the many foster children throughout the community by bridging the gap between available resources and the unmet needs of these children. The Foundation’s volunteers combine the efforts of businesses, organizations, schools, churches and caring citizens to help change the lives and raise the self esteem of these children less fortunate. Suzanne Geske, Executive Director of the Foundation said that she frequently gets asked are: Who are these children? How old are they? Where do they come from? Her answer, “These children are our neighbors, they live in our community, they attend school with our children. What makes them unique? Due to circumstances beyond their control they are in difficult situations without a home and family. Throughout the year, the Foundation has many events, projects, and programs established to help raise the self-esteem of foster children and allow them to realize that people do care and will help. In addition the FCF maintains a “Clothing and Needs Center” in Duluth where children can come to get clothing, hygiene products and other needed items. Facts: When asked whose responsibility it is to take care of these children, Geske said “These children belong to all of us and we must all work together to see to it that they are cared for and have what they need. It is up to us to help raise their self esteem and help them achieve their goals so they can grow to be a valuable part of society.” You, your family, your company or organization all have the opportunity to experience “Holiday Magic” this Holiday Season by contacting the Foster Children’s Foundation and asking how you can help. You can sponsor a child for Christmas by fulfilling their wish list, you can have a toy drive at your place of business, you can make goodie bags or Christmas stockings, you can bake goods for one of the many Holiday gatherings and parties that will take place. These children don’t have the money or means to shop for gifts to give their foster parents. You can give them their own “Holiday Magic” by providing gifts appropriate for adult men and women. The children then shop in our Secret Santa shop and pick out a gift to put under the tree for their foster parents. Then when that special moment arrives and the gift that they so carefully chose is opened, they too can share the feeling and learn the “gift of giving”. We would welcome the opportunity to share with you the many ways that you others you know can make a difference. Monetary donations are always accepted allowing us to provide items that are needed but do not get donated. Your tax deductible contributions can be made payable to Foster Children’s Foundation and mailed to P.O. Box 2469 Duluth, GA 30096. ______________________________________________________________________
At age seven, I had a life changing experience. I was in the
unfortunate position of spending time in an orphanage along with
my three younger brothers. At the time, my mother was financially
unable to afford to keep our family together. Since the four of
us were different ages, we were housed in separate facilities. I am honored today to be the proud founder and Executive Director
of the Foster Children’s Foundation (FCF), an organization
who has been identifying and providing for the needs of local
foster children for the last six years. The FCF is a 501 C 3 register
non-profit and has grown and continued to help children in areas
where there was no hope before. It is our dream to make a major
difference in the lives of foster children. ______________________________________________________________________
How many times have you woken up in a strange place, nothing was familiar, and you felt so alone and abandoned? That’s pretty scary for an adult, but think of how a 2 or 4 or 10 year old might feel. Of the near 400 foster children in Gwinnett, almost 100 are in a temporary care situation. That is some of the emotional baggage that foster children have to deal with on a recurring basis. That will never completely disappear, but one Duluth group is doing all it can to make this transition more bearable. Foster Children’s Foundation, Inc., founded by Suzanne Geske and Mark Williams, has undertaken the mammoth task of identifying the needs of foster children and organizing corporate and private support to meet those needs. We take our clothes, summer camp, going to a ball game or attending a concert as a way of life. Well, our overloaded foster care system is not equipped to handle these “extras” in life that could mean so much to a foster child. That is where
the Foster Children’s Foundation steps in to help. Over 150
children attended Georgia Force games, near 100 kids enjoyed a picnic
with celebrities in attendance, and a sponsored Easter Egg hunt was
given for the kids at the Green in Duluth. All this and a clothing
bank were accomplished through the Foster Children’s Foundation
volunteers and your generosity. ______________________________________________________________________
June
14, 2003
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Nonprofit
Aids Foster Children Not wanting to wait for the paperwork to go throw on their nonprofit status, volunteers have already treated 30 foster children to Disney’s “Holiday on Ice” at the Arena at Gwinnett Center in Duluth.“The kids just had a blast,” said Bonnye Caldwell, president of the Gwinnett Adoptive and Foster Parent Association. “The tickets are so expensive we wouldn’t have been there otherwise.”To raise money for other opportunities, volunteers have worked the concession stands at the Arena to raise money to help support foster families. They are also planning a picnic this summer for the foster children. Gwinnett’s 400 foster children live in group homes and about 85 foster homes.Along with certain reimbursements, the Department of Foster and Children Services can only provide foster parents $12.75 a day for children up to 6 years old, $13.50 for children 6 to 13 and $14.25 for children over age 13. The clothing allowance is $150 to $200 per child, depending on age. Those amounts are usually not enough when you consider that most foster children bring few belongings with them into state custody. Foster parents sometimes have to secure food, personal hygiene items and clothes for them to wear. Caldwell has fostered 500 children over the last 10 years. Some stayed a couple of hours. Some stayed for months. The longer the stay, the more the expense. Children wear out clothes or grow out of them. Now she and her 50 foster parents have a resource.“It really makes a big difference for us,” Caldwell said. “If we need something, they will get it for us. We’re not just out here alone. There’s somebody who cares. ”Geske was part of the about 150 volunteers who organized a picnic and permanent clothing pantry for foster children last fall. They saw and need and didn’t want to stop so they recruited more volunteers and resources. This foster foundation will also collect funds for trips and other expenses and organize projects with a network of resources in the community. “This way there will be a pool to draw from,” said Geske. For more details, call Geske at 770-623-6135 or email at info@fosterchildrensfoundation.org. ______________________________________________________________________ Self Pride, a critical element of success! It’s almost that time of year again. School will start soon and families will begin to re-adjust their schedules. The last few weeks of summer camp are nearing and neighborhood pools are beginning to close. It is time for youth to get ready to go back to school. For most students, back to school means new clothes, new shoes, school supplies, and book bags. Moms and dads take their children shopping to make sure that they have everything they need. Students are excited about the start of a new school year. They want to look their best and are anxious to meet their new teachers and make new friends. For many children, the most difficult decision they must make on the first day of school is, what to wear. For foster children, the fears and anxiety associated with the beginning of a new school year can be overwhelming. These children, do not know “if they will have what they need” or “where it will come from” as their situations have left them without parents or a permanent home. Among many of the projects and programs sponsored by the Foster Children’s Foundation is a “back to school” drive takes place in mid summer. This helps to provide needed items to foster children for their return to school. Each year, caring individuals and companies throughout the community organize drives to collect a variety of items that foster children need for school. The collected items are taken to the “Clothing and Needs” center in Duluth where volunteers are waiting to make sure they get to the children in need. Since foster children range in age from 0 to 18, there are many different types of supplies that are needed. Lists of needed items can be found in stores that sell school supplies and include things such as book bags, binders, filler paper, notebooks, rulers, pencils, pens, calculators, markers, lunch boxes, Kleenex, glue, colored pencils and much more. Many donors provide individual supplies while others pre-fill a book bag with everything a child will need. To help foster children become successful in school and ultimately in life, they must be provided with the necessary tools. A good education is critical to these children’s future. In many cases school is one of the few consistencies in the life of a foster child. Therefore it is up to each of us to help these forgotten children “fit in”. By providing these children with the things that every child needs to start school, we can drastically change their future for the good. While fulfilling material needs, many emotional needs are automatically improved. Children who have what they need and feel good about themselves do much better in school than those who do not. Confidence and positive self-esteem are characteristics needed to help these children succeed in both the social and academic aspects of school. If you, your company or other’s you know, want to make a difference in the life of a child, you can help by doing a “Back to School” drive, donating funds or volunteering at the center. For more details on how you can help, please contact the Foster Children’s Foundation, Inc., at 770-623-6135 or email us at info@fosterchildrensfoundation.org. Visit our website to find out more about ways that you can help to improve the quality of life for foster children in the community at www.fosterchildrensfoundation.org ______________________________________________________________________ Reported By: Donna
Lowry 11Alive's latest Class Act kid is an example of a teen who unselfishly gives to others. Kaushal Amin works tirelessly to help the foster children of Gwinnett County have a better life. Amin spends much of his time at a boutique of sorts for foster children who need clothing, shoes, and toiletries after entering the state's DFCS system. "They shop. They get the items that they need. There's no exchange of money," said executive director Suzanne Geske. Amin said, "A lot of people don't realize this is a big problem. I know I didn't when I first became aware of it." When he found out, he took action at the Foster Children's Foundation in Duluth. Geske said, "He instantly became passionate about working with the foster children." Amin does more than just sort clothes at the store. He enlisted teens from several schools and created a junior executive committee. They raise money and put on events for foster children, such as an annual Easter egg hunt. "It's a good time for the kids to interact if they're separated from their brothers or sisters," Amin said. Amin knows there's a great need for what the Foster Children's Foundation provides, which has grown immensely since incorporating in 2003. "At that time there were 348 children in Gwinnett County foster care. There's now almost 850," Geske said. "That really shocked me, even like being young, we can all realize this is a big problem and we can all do something to help," said Amin, who recently graduated from Duluth High School. He plans to attend Emory University in the fall. Congratulations Kaushal from all the volunteers at the Foster Children’s Foundation. It is our hope that many will follow in your footsteps to change the lives of foster children. We are proud that you are part of our family of volunteers. To see the video, go to www.11alive.com, search, type in Kaushal, then look for the two articles he is in.
 Foster Children's Foundation, Inc. Resource Center: : 6733 Jones Mill Court, Suite E, Norcross GA 30092 Mailing Address: P. O. Box 2469, Duluth, GA 30096 Phone/Fax: 770-623-6135 Email: info@fosterchildrensfoundation.org URL: www.fosterchildrensfoundation.org |
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