Table Of Content
Foster Village Charlotte’s mission is to make that transition easier and provide resources and support for children and families. The journey is often lonely and emotionally exhausting for everyone involved. It was this challenge that prompted four Charlotte-based foster moms to seek out support during their own foster care journeys. After finding each other, they quickly realized the need for a community of support that would ensure every foster parent had the resources they needed to continue offering a safe place for children. Today, even with the disruption of the pandemic, Foster Village thrives.
Join 17,000+ parents in the Charlotte metro area.
Become a monthly donor and help fuel our mission, every donation helps and everyone can make a difference. Foster and adoptive parents Heather, Peter and Diana all credit their families’ success in part to help from others. The median household income in Charlotte, North Carolina is$67,385.The median household income for the surrounding county is $71,482compared to the national median of $66,222.The median age of people living in Charlotte is37.1 years.
Opportunities
But towards the end, we learned she may need to be adopted. We absolutely wanted to adopt her, but then we were put on hold. Whether you’re a foster parent or you want to provide support, there are so many ways to get involved at FVC. If you, or someone you know, is interested in becoming a foster family or would like to donate, please visit fostervillagecharlotte.org for more information.
Connect with nonprofit leaders
Members of the community host donation drives and gently used items are posted on Foster Village Charlotte Swap for further needs. FVC staff follow up by email within two weeks with each family and also to introduce new families to other support services to stabilize the journey in foster care. Foster Village Charlotte creates connection with dignity for children and families experiencing foster care by meeting urgent needs, providing educational and emotional support, and advocating as a collective community voice for children. Foster Village Charlotte is committed to helping children, foster families, kinship families, and/or biological families by creating a village of support during their time of crisis. Staying emotionally present during the difficult transition into foster care takes lots of energy from all parties involved.
Life Lessons: Becky Santoro of Foster Village - Charlotte magazine
Life Lessons: Becky Santoro of Foster Village.
Posted: Thu, 02 Jun 2022 07:00:00 GMT [source]
You play, show them around, and blow out the candles with so many adults that are here just for you. The team launched Foster the Movement, a fundraising campaign that asked foster families, volunteers and donors to share their stories on social media and ask for support from friends and family. The Village overwhelmingly responded, raising more than $80,000 to help continue the services that had supported many of them so well.
Five years ago, shortly after she welcomed her first foster child, Santoro began to regularly meet three other foster parents at a playground. They told her they lacked resources and felt overwhelmed. Santoro envisioned an organization to support foster caregivers, and by the time she welcomed her second foster child, Santoro and the three other parents—Molly Zalewski, Sloan Crawford, and Traci Prillaman—had co-founded Foster Village.
A recent Foster Village survey of more than 100 of its client families found that 75% of caregivers are likely to continue fostering in 2022 because of the organization’s services. All said they depend on Foster Village to learn how to access resources and navigate the system. When a family decides to foster a child, it can be scary and overwhelming.
I would have loved for my (foster) children’s father to have access to a home-like setting like our current resource center in the Oakhurst neighborhood. We hope to open a larger resource center so we can provide more intentional programming around the foster and biological family on their road home. When Raeya was 6 months old, we both left teaching. I took a job at Watershed, working in the children’s program. During that time, I said to Tony, “Let’s do foster care.” Looking back, that did not feel like the right time to start something new. Tony was starting his business, I was in a new job, we had little kids.
When Foster Village Charlotte joined Cultivate in 2020, they were an emerging organization that had a groundswell of grassroots support, an ambitious vision and deep passion for local children and families. The FVC team had recently moved into a Center that would serve as a home for their support groups, Welcome Pack storage and space for foster families and biological families to work together to support the children in their care. At Foster Village Charlotte (FVC), the commitment to providing a supportive space for children and foster families goes beyond the ordinary. FVC facilitates connections, offers educational and emotional support, and equips caregivers with essential advocacy tools. My vision has always been for Foster Village to be a safe haven for kids to come back to over and over again, one that’s comfortable and dignifying for their families.
Our volunteer program offers a variety of practical opportunities to get involved and support families in practical ways that make a tangible difference in their foster care journey. Imagine you are the child again and you have a birthday coming up. It's been almost a year since you've been living with your foster family and although you are bonding with them you are struggling with your longing to be with your parents. It's been almost a year since you've been in a home environment and you ache for being in "limbo." But then you learn your party is at the FVC Resource Center and the invitation includes both families.
I knew I could have a tangible, meaningful, and positive impact through the beauty of my artful designs. When you purchase any items from our House Collection, we donate 100% of the purchase price to Foster Village Charlotte. Your purchase supports the work of Foster Village Charlotte, which ultimately impacts those who need it the most. My hope is the Safety Pin House serves as a reminder that when we all come together, children can have a safe place to call home.
We taught together at Merry Oaks Elementary for a couple of years. It wasn’t easy—we worked 80-hour weeks—but we loved those kids and families so much. Visit fostervillagecharlotte.org or facebook.com/fostervillagecharlotte for more information and ways to get involved. If you are already a full-access volunteer (background check, training, childcare webinar training completed) the portal is a great way to have all up-to-date information in one place! Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities?
Foster Village Charlotte knew where they wanted to go – but they also knew they needed help to build a strong foundation that would make them sustainable for years to come. “When we joined Cultivate, we had a lot of momentum and community support,” said Founder and Executive Director Becky Santoro. We recently hired a licensed clinical social worker. We also launched a “before your first placement” group. At the end of four weeks, new foster parents have an opportunity to partner with a seasoned foster parent mentor to walk them through their first placement.
After Maeve was born, Tony started roasting coffee in the backyard and selling it to friends and family for fun. This went on for a couple of years, through the birth of our second daughter, Raeya. Create professional content with Canva, including presentations, catalogs, and more. Transform any piece of content into a page-turning experience.
This program equips caregivers with sensory tools and play-based strategies to help manage children's trauma responses effectively. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic further tested our resilience, prompting us to advocate fiercely for caregivers' needs during unprecedented times, enhancing our virtual support offerings to maintain continuity of care. In the ever-expanding and growing community of Charlotte-Mecklenburg, where nearly 400+ children navigate the complexities of foster care, we at Foster Village Charlotte stand as a beacon of support and hope. Established to address the tangled web of challenges these children and their families face, our mission is rooted in untangling critical issues such as insufficient resources, isolation, and fragmented information.
Build relationships with key people who manage and lead nonprofit organizations with GuideStar Pro.Try a low commitment monthly plan today. Volunteers put the “Village” in Foster Village, and we’d love to help you find your fit in this village of support. “We have a lot of needs we have to meet, and so foster and adoptive parents can always use extra support in the community,” Diana said. Well, imagine you are a child that has been taken out of the only home and family you’ve ever known.
No comments:
Post a Comment