On any given day in America, more than 500,000 children and youth are in foster care. There are many ways to make a difference in their lives.

1. Be a foster parent.
Make a real and lasting difference by sharing your home, time, energy, and love with a child, a youth, or a sibling group in need of a permanent home.

Interested? Contact the National Foster Parent Association (see below).

2. Be an adoptive parent.
An adopted child or youth offers the same joys and responsibilities as a birth child. Make a lifelong commitment to the well-being and progress of an adopted child.

Interested? Contact the North American Council on Adoptable Children or the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption (see below).

3. Be a volunteer advocate in court.
Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) volunteers are trained citizens appointed by judges to represent the best interests of abused and neglected children in court.

Interested? Contact the National CASA Association (see below).

4. Be a mentor.
Mentors make a difference. Research shows that children and youth with mentors earn higher grades and report improved relationships with their friends and families.

Interested? Contact the National Mentoring Partnership (see below).

5. Support foster youth in college and vocational school.
Giving scholarship money helps alumni of foster care pursue the education they dream about.

Interested? Contact the Orphan Foundation of America (see below).

6. Provide employment and training opportunities.
Help a youth in foster care explore career options and find a job.

Interested? Contact YouthBuild U.S.A.(see below).

7. Be an advocate for change.
Improve the lives of youth by educating and informing policy makers about the problems facing foster children in America.

Interested? Contact Voices for America’s Children (see below).

8. Learn more about foster care and adoption.
Stay informed about foster care and child welfare issues. Subscribe to Casey announcements.

Interested? Click "Subscribe" (upper-right corner).

9. Get involved with foster care in your local community.
Make connections with others who are working to improve outcomes for youth and families.

Interested? Contact the Child Welfare League of America (see below).

10. Contribute financially.
A donation, no matter the size, can make a big difference in the lives of families, youth, and children.

Interested? Contact the Network for Good (see below).

See Also Related Resources Child Welfare League of America The Child Welfare League of America is committed to engaging people everywhere in promoting the well-being of children, youth, and their families, and protecting every child from harm. Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is dedicated to increasing the adoptions of the more than 130,000 waiting children in North America’s foster care system. National CASA Association The National CASA Association works with community volunteers to advocate for the best interests of neglected and abused children in court. National Foster Parent Association The National Foster Parent Association is devoted to strengthening foster families through nationally focused legislative advocacy, training and education, publications and networking among foster parents, state and local foster parent associations and child welfare organizations. National Mentoring Partnership The National Mentoring Partnership is a resource for mentors, providing an interactive database of opportunities to help connect volunteers to mentoring programs in their area. Network for Good Network for Good is dedicated to using the Web to help people get more involved in their communities—from volunteering and donating money, to speaking out on issues you care about. North American Council on Adoptable Children The North American Council on Adoptable Children supports adoptive parents, promotes adoption awareness, informs adoption professionals, and helps children find permanent families. Orphan Foundation of America Orphan Foundation of America is committed to helping parentless teens make the transition from foster care into independent adulthood with education as the foundation for success. Voices for America’s Children Voices for America’s Children is a national organization committed to working at the state and local levels to improve the well-being of children. YouthBuild U.S.A. YouthBuild U.S.A. is a national organization supporting a network of local programs, where unemployed and undereducated young people 16-24 work toward their GED or high school diploma while learning construction skills building affordable housing for homeless and low-income people.

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