Foster Care Awareness Month - You can be part of this effort

Foster Care Awareness Month - You can be part of this effort

Dear Friends of Cunningham: 
 
May is Foster Care Awareness Month. Each of us has an opportunity to raise awareness about Cunningham's foster care program and the need for caring, stable, and dedicated foster homes. 
 
Right now in Illinois, approximately 15,000 children are in substitute care. This includes all kids who are wards of the state and not living with their parents. These kids may be in residential care, foster care, independent living programs, shelters, or detention centers. More than 500 of these children are from Champaign and Vermilion counties. 
 
As someone who supports Cunningham, you have heard us talk about the importance of true connections for children. They need and deserve to feel loved and have a sense of belonging. Yet there are countless occasions when youth remain in residential/ shelter care because a foster family is not available for them.
 
You can help us serve more kids by telling your friends about the current need for foster families. You can direct them to our website, cunninghamhome.org, to learn more.
 
We also want to take this time to give a shout-out to our foster care staff who provide exemplary support for our foster families. This year, six children in our specialized foster care program found their forever homes. We want to thank them and all of our staff for their great work.
Hope begins here . . . 
 
Marlin Livingston, LCSW  
President /CEO