tools & resources

Help Kids…Here’s How

There are so many ways to help kids. There are one-time options, annual, monthly, weekly, or daily ways to get involved – and your involvement can make all the difference in a child’s life.

  • Donate gift cards, clothes, books, or games to a children’s home near you
  • Volunteer yearly to organize a birthday party or bake a birthday cake for a child who may never have had one
  • Volunteer monthly to mentor a kid or help out at the children’s home
  • Volunteer weekly to do a Bible study, pizza party, tutor or play with foster kids

The most significant way to make a difference is to establish a relationship.
Kids accept advice and correction from people they believe care about them. If you have the time to invest in the healing of a child, consider becoming:

Child welfare organizations need your help.
The costs of homeless services, entitlements, mental health services, health care, substance abuse treatment, juvenile detention and incarceration have been estimated at a staggering $24 billion annually. The intangible cost of lost productivity and criminal behavior is estimated at three times that amount!

Your support of your local child welfare organization can result in a measurable return on investment in the lives of the children helped, in your community, and in your sense of fulfillment that comes from touching the lives of hurting kids.

To find a child welfare organization in your area:

1. Go to Google or your preferred search engine.

2. Search for “children’s home” or “foster family agency” and the name of your town, county, or state.

3. Look at websites of organizations near you for ways you can help. If they don’t list specific needs, call and ask. (In California, go to the California Alliance of Child and Family Services and search your county for an accredited child welfare organization.)

Different child welfare organizations will offer different volunteer opportunities depending on the kids served. Don’t be discouraged if the first one you contact isn’t right for you or says they have no way for you to help; it is possible the kids they serve aren’t ready. Please try the next one.

If you wish to check out a children’s home’s financial need before choosing which one to help, you can gather and evaluate information at www.guidestar.org.

Child Abuse Reporting Hotlines:

If you suspect that a child is being abused or neglected:
Please don’t turn your back and pretend it isn’t happening! Make an anonymous call if you aren’t comfortable giving your name, but please let someone trained in evaluating these issues make a determination. Your phone call could save a child’s life!

Other Resources for Helping Children
Church Groups
Interested in learning how your church can reach out and help disadvantaged kids and/or their families in your area? Click here to contact SSF Faith Based Initiative.

Training Programs
For some of the best training for social workers, child care workers, and foster parents, check out Corky Kindsvater’s RELATIONSHIP IS EVERYTHING

For character building and work ethic training for youth, contact Molitor International

Foster Children & Family Support
If you’re a foster youth or foster alumni in need of support or wishing to connect to others who understand, check out Foster Care Alumni of America

If you’re a foster parent in need of support, contact The National Foster Parent Association
You are not in this alone!