May is National Foster Care Month...You Can Change a Lifetime ...

All children deserve a safe, happy life ? including the more than 400,000 American youth in foster care. Foster care youth need nurturing adults to step forward and support them because their own families are in crisis and unable to care for them.

Each May, we salute the compassionate people who make a difference including foster parents, relative caregivers, mentors, advocates, social workers, and volunteers. Thanks to these unsung heroes, many formerly abused or neglected children and teens will either safely reunite with their parents, be cared for by relatives, or be adopted into loving families.

But some children in foster care are less fortunate. Most communities across the country are urgently seeking more people to support these youth to help them overcome their troubled childhoods and realize their full potential. No matter what their age, every young person in foster care benefits from a meaningful connection to a caring adult who becomes a supportive and lasting presence in his or her life.

The number and diversity of people who were once in foster care might surprise you. In fact, there are an estimated 12 million foster care alumni in the U.S. representing all walks of life.? Behind this startling statistic are countless stories of children who grew up to be thriving adults while others struggled with life?s challenges all alone. The difference between triumph and tragedy is very clear. Success stories come about when someone takes the time to offer comfort, provide support, give advice, or simply share a milestone moment with a youngster enduring a difficult family situation.

Children?s Law Center of Minnesota (CLC) is making a difference. CLC is averaging 20 new cases a month.? At this rate, CLC will almost double the amount of new clients from 2011 to 2012.? This follows an increase of over 25 percent from 2010 to 2011.

We need your support to continue serving these youth.

You can HELP foster youth. Here?s how:

You have the power to do something positive that will ?Change a Lifetime? for a young person in foster care.? For more information on how you can help, please visit www.fostercaremonth.org or call Children?s Law Center at 651-644-4438 today.

National Foster Care Month is a partnership of The Annie E. Casey Foundation/Casey Family Services; American Public Human Services Association/National Association of Public Child Welfare Administrators; Casey Family Programs; Black Administrators in Child Welfare; Children?s Bureau, Administration for Children and Families; U.S. Department of Health and Human Services; Children?s Rights; Child Welfare League of America; Foster Care Alumni of America; FosterClub; Foster Family-Based Treatment Association; Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative; National Association of Social Workers; National Association of State Foster Care Managers; National CASA; National Foster Care Coalition; National Foster Parent Association; National Indian Child Welfare Association; National Resource Center for Family Centered Practice and Permanency Planning, a service of the Children?s Bureau; Orphan Foundation of America; Voices for America?s Children.

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