May is National Foster Care Month

Each May, National Foster Care Month provides us a special opportunity to focus on the nation’s more than 400,000 children and youth in the foster care system.  And as the month unfolds, we are called to nurture relationships with foster children, foster families, volunteers and child welfare workers who serve.

Recent reports indicate that more than 6,900 Kentucky children are currently in the foster care system. Nearly every community in Kentucky is suffering from a shortage of foster families, causing more and more children to go without the love and stability of family.

The foster care “system” is only as good as the people who choose to be a part of it. With the help of more willing Kentuckians, the lives of these young people will change for the better. The reality is, these children are our future but these children come with a lot of pain in their suitcase.

Our belief is that every child should be cared for. Every child should be loved. Every child should know that they were created to love and be loved. They need to know that their story and their life matters. Bellewood celebrates people fighting for their stories.

Through our work with these young people, we know how resilient they can be. Foster children can overcome their past and challenges, but only if they have love and stability from caring adults. Without these relationships, statistics show that foster youth are far more likely than their peers in the general population to endure homelessness, poverty and other issues after they leave the foster care system.

Our foster parents aren’t superhuman. They are retirees, work-at- home moms, teachers, construction workers and bank tellers. By day they do their jobs. At night, they read bedtime stories, help with homework and assist the children in healing.

Foster children have a simple dream, one that exists at the very center of the human experience. They want to be someone and have the chance to reach for something better. But this doesn’t happen without foster parents. Make your own neighborhood a welcoming place for kids in foster care – find out how you can get involved with Bellewood.