Author: Emily Baumann
That’s a Wrap on Trivia Night!
That's a wrap on Trivia Night: A Night at the Movies! More than 200 movie buffs attended our sold out event. Thanks to their support, we exceeded our goal, raising $46,074 to support children in foster care! Now that’s an Academy Award-level achievement! From classic quotes to big-screen soundtrack rounds, their energy and generosity made [...]
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Helping Families in Times of Need
Over the past weeks, the Coalition has rallied to support our foster and adoptive families who were impacted by devastating tornadoes. While our hearts are heavy with compassion for everyone who was affected, they are also filled with hope. Witnessing our community come together in the wake of this tragedy has been truly inspiring. We'd [...]
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Advocacy in Action: Reuniting Four Brothers
The staff at Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition (the Coalition) are no strangers to fiercely championing the children and families we serve. In February 2024, Daniel and Connor contacted Karen Alyasiry, Director of Family Development, seeking information about the fostering and adoption process. After speaking with Karen, the couple determined that pursuing licensure to foster [...]
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Kaiya
Kaiya is a beautiful young lady with a creative mind that’s endlessly inventive and wildly original. At just ten years old, her humor is sharp, deadpan, and delightfully unexpected—she’ll catch you off guard in the best way! Though she can be shy at first, Kaiya’s bold and witty personality soon shines through. A girly girl [...]
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Keeping Children in Foster Care Connected
Alarmingly, up to 85% of youth in foster care are separated from their siblings. For children who have already experienced immense trauma from being removed from their parents, staying connected with siblings is vital. This is where the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition’s program 30 Days to Family® comes in: to ensure siblings stay together. [...]
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William
William is an active and inquisitive 9 year old who can brighten the room with his smile. Despite the challenges he’s faced in life, William is not afraid to be his authentic self. He is social and loves to play games like hide and seek and tag outside with his peers when the weather is [...]
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$245,679 Raised on Give STL Day!
The 12th annual Give STL Day was a huge success. We beat our goal by more than $100,000! Our supporters showed up for the Coalition, giving generously of their time and treasure to help us spread the word about our promise to serve 100% of local children entering foster care by 2029. Not some, not [...]
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The Path to Permanency
Marla*, a licensed foster parent, was motivated to follow in the footsteps of her biological mother to create a nurturing space where foster youth impacted by trauma could heal. Marla became licensed through the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition in 2024 and immediately took placement of a teenage boy. Marla leaned on her training from [...]
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A Space Just for Teens
For nearly nine years, Elizabeth Maize has been a dedicated and compassionate volunteer at the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition. With a professional background in merchandising, Elizabeth honed her skills while working with major corporations like May Merchandising Co. and Maritz. Her extensive experience in the retail industry has given her a unique perspective on [...]
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Summer Camp & Daycare Resources
It's summer camp and day care preparation season for many families. Daycare for kids is getting trickier, and not all summer camps will continue to accept a daycare subsidy. We've compiled the following resources to help you find the right fit for your family. Summer Camp & Daycare Resources Special Education Foundation Kid-2-Camp Program [...]
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Johnnie
Johnnie is a 15-year-old teen who loves to have intelligent conversations. Johnnie is shy but communicates well with those who he has built a trusting relationship with. He is most likely to bond with one of his peers, classmates, or foster siblings. Then, his playful personality will start to shine through. If you want to [...]
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June 7 | Kinship Caregiving: Building Resilience
About Session Kinship Caregiving: Building Resilience June 7 | 9–11:30 a.m. 2.5 hours training credit This training describes parental resilience, why resilience is important, and covers how caring for children who have experienced trauma, separation, or loss can impact a caregiver’s own well-being. This theme also covers the behaviors that foster a protective environment for [...]
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June 11 | Attachment 101
About Session Attachment 101 June 11 | 6–8 p.m. 2 hours training This training is an introduction to attachment and helps participants understand the importance of attachment in parenting both for the children and parents who are fostering or adopting. It covers the impact of fractured attachments/lack of attachments on children’s ability to attach and [...]
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June 14 | Kinship Parenting: It’s Complicated!
About Course Kinship Parenting: It's Complicated! June 14 | 9–11:30 a.m. 2.5 Hours Training Credit This training acknowledges the complexities associated with caring for children who are related, including: divided loyalties, redefining roles and relationships, setting boundaries with parents and other relatives, and the range of emotions including anger, resentment, guilt, and/or embarrassment that caregivers [...]
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June 17 | The Impact of Prenatal Substance Use
About Session The Impact of Prenatal Substance Use June 17 | 6-8 p.m. 2 hours training credit This training will discuss characteristics for caregivers, understanding potential developmental impacts of prenatal exposure, understanding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders and their impact on development, common challenges faced by caregivers and how to reframe them. Enroll Here
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Jimmy
Meet James, also known as Jimmy! Jimmy is an intelligent and creative 10-year-old boy who loves to be outside, riding his scooter or go-kart by himself or with friends. Jimmy is fascinated with insects and loves to meditate while in nature as he manicures flowers in the garden. His favorite subjects in school are science [...]
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Aniya
Twelve-year-old Aniya is a quiet, thoughtful young woman. She is a storyteller at heart, spending a lot of time creating and writing stories, even adding hand-drawn art to each of her story pages. Her prior foster parent noted “our finest moments together occurred when we could be playful together and really use our imagination!” Aniya [...]
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June 18 | Attachment 2.0
About Session Attachment 2.0 June 18 | 6–8 p.m. 2 hours training credit Children and youth who have experienced the trauma of separation, loss and grief, often have a difficult time building new attachments and allowing themselves to trust the new caregivers in their lives. Take our Attachment 101 Training to the next level with [...]
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July 9, 16, 23, & 30 | SPAULDING Adoption Training
About Course SPAULDING Adoption Training July 9, 16, 23, & 30 | 6–9 p.m. 12 hours training credit Forming a family through adoption is different than forming one biologically or being a foster family. While adoption brings great joy and happiness to families, children who have experienced the trauma of abuse, neglect, and the loss [...]
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August 1 | Ask the Advocate: Preparing for School’s Start
About Session Ask the Advocate: Preparing for School's Start August 1 | 10–11 a.m. This is your opportunity to have questions answered about educational support for students impacted by foster care. We’ll discuss how to meet the ever-changing needs of our children. This session will discuss the ins and outs of school interventions for students [...]
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Jeff Dyson-Perkins Joins the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition as Chief Impact Officer
The Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition is thrilled to welcome Jeff Dyson-Perkins to our team as Chief Impact Officer. In this role, Jeff will introduce an integrated approach to the Coalition’s community impact efforts through relationship-building and collaboration with agency partners. Additionally, Jeff will provide inspirational leadership to develop and implement efforts to advance the [...]
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Celebrate Black History Month with RESPOND
Did you know? Our local community is in desperate need of more African American foster parents. In St. Louis alone, African American children represent nearly 70% of kids in foster care, but less than 1/3 of the general population. Furthermore, only 13% of local foster parents are African American. Twice the number of African American children [...]
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Atreyu
Meet 14-year-old Atreyu! This tall handsome young man will have you laughing in no time. Atreyu may come off as quiet at first, but once you find some common ground you will quickly realize how much of a joy he is. Atreyu enjoys being goofy and may actually have the BEST smile ever! His laugh [...]
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Malina
Malina is a bright and happy 11-year-old with a quick wit and a heart full of kindness. She’s always ready to make someone laugh or help a friend. She has a playful nature that makes her a joy to be around. Malina loves the color pink- which matches her cheerful personality perfectly! Her favorite foods [...]
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Justin
Justin is a fun-loving, outgoing thirteen-year-old boy with an adorable personality and smile. Justin is expressive, advocates for himself and is eager to learn. His favorite subject in school is Reading and he is a fan of the “Diary of a Wimpy Kid Dog Man” series. When he gets older his desire is to be [...]
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Jamaya
Meet Jamaya, a sweet, loving, and adventurous 7-year-old who is looking for her forever family! Jamaya is a very happy little girl who loves dancing, singing, and making others laugh. With a strong will and a smile on her face, Jamaya is the embodiment of joy and determination. She doesn’t let anything stop her! Though [...]
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Braxton
Twelve year old Braxton is a bundle of energy! After spending just a few minutes with Braxton you will be falling out of your chair laughing at his jokes and pop culture references. His dream job is to become a video game developer, but he is such a dedicated and well-rounded student that the world [...]
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Jesse
Jesse is an incredibly kind and playful 13-year-old. He is known to be respectful and so helpful at home. Jesse is smart and confident and his favorite subjects in school are math, science, and gym. He loves sports, but especially basketball, football, and dodgeball! When Jesse grows up, he hopes to be in the NFL [...]
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Davion
Davion is an inquisitive and imaginative 12-year-old boy who’s always eager to learn and help. Davion has a colorful personality which is very fitting as he has several favorite colors which include red, blue, orange, yellow, and black. He uses this color scheme when building new worlds with his Legos. Davion loves to be active [...]
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Ian
Meet Ian, a 11-year-old boy with blondish-brown hair, bluish-green eyes, and a strong build. Ian is very intelligent and inquisitive, which leads him to ask questions to ensure he has a clear understanding of the who, what, when, where and the how’s of life. He has a knack for multiplication and addition, which consequently are [...]
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Kevon’s Big Wish
For the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition, this is the time of year in which we focus on making every child in foster care’s Big Wish come true: the wish for a place to call home. That’s kids like Kevon, whose Big Wish was just granted! Kevon, now three, spent the first several years of [...]
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Foster Hope Day 2024
This year, we celebrated Foster Hope Day in a BIG way, raising an astonishing $2.07M to close out the Coalition's two-year, $10M capital campaign. Now, we can move into our new headquarters, from which we will serve 100% of children entering foster care, quadruple the number of foster parents, and much more! We are extremely [...]
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WOW! A Record-Breaking Trivia Night!
We are immensely grateful to everyone who attended our eras-themed trivia night! Your participation made the evening memorable and fun, and your support is invaluable to our mission. We’re even more excited that you attended this 35th Anniversary edition of trivia night, Transforming Lives at 35: Rewriting the Next Chapter of the Foster Care Story [...]
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$235,000+ Raised on Give STL Day!
You've made this an unforgettable start to our 35th anniversary. With your incredible support, you've helped us kick off our 35th anniversary by raising over $235,000! Your gift, along with hundreds of like-minded individuals, reaffirms our shared belief that every child deserves the support of a safe, loving family. Your gift will be the catalyst [...]
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Thank You for Another Successful Hope in a Handbag!
Thank You for an Incredible Hope in a Handbag; 35th Anniversary Edition! Hope in a Handbag was a HUGE success, and we couldn’t have done it without every single one of you! Heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you for your support of Hope in a Handbag. Whether you attended, contributed, or simply [...]
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