Barium Springs Home for Children

Imagine a world in which the concept of “family” is turned on its head, a world in which you are forced to pack your few belongings and move to a new home with a new family. Most of the time you are not making the move with your brothers and sisters who are being placed in other foster homes. Or, imagine for a moment you are the new family taking in a child who is confused, rootless and likely angry. Very little imagination is required if you are one of the 518,000 children in foster care in the U.S. or one of the foster families who open their hearts and homes to children in desperate need of stability. The foster care “system” is only as good as the people who choose to be a part of it. As more Americans begin to feel responsible to children who are in foster care, the system will become better and better. There are hundreds of ways for you to change a lifetime for a child in foster care by sharing your heart, opening your home, or offering help to children and youth who are in need of funds, goods, services or your time.

New foster families are desperately needed. Every jurisdiction in the nation is suffering from a shortage of foster families. More and more children need you. Children in foster care feel more secure and are likely to do better in school when they are able to stay in the same community where they are growing up. The simple truth is that the more qualified foster parents there are, the easier it will be to ensure that children can remain in their own neighborhoods and schools and to keep siblings together in foster care. Make your own neighborhood a welcoming place for kids in foster care—find out how you can get involved. Being a foster parent is not the only way to have an impact on the life of a child in foster care. You can mentor a young person. Learn how policy, legislative and budget priorities affect children and youth in foster care. Become a foster parent. Caring families are especially needed for older youth, siblings, and children with special needs.

When was the last time you read a positive story about a child in foster care who was succeeding in school or life? When was the last time you read a profile about a foster family opening its doors and hearts to children who desperately needed them? Take a few minutes to call Barium Springs Home for Children to see what you can do. Consider sending some thank you cards, coupons for free pizzas, or new toys to the agency for distribution to foster families and the children they care for. For every story about a child in foster care whose life ends in tragedy, there are thousands of stories of children being raised in loving, nurturing foster homes. They are our children; their well-being is dependent on the willingness of our entire community to care for and about them.

In March, Barium Springs Home for Children placed its first foster child.

To learn more about the Intensive Therapeutic Foster Care program at Barium Springs Home for Children, go to the following website:
www.bariumsprings.org.