Let us reflect as 2021 comes to a close, and welcome in a new and prosperous 2022 for all.

A message from our founder:

2021 while an improvement over 2020, brought with it it’s own challenges. As a non-profit, Fostering Hope still struggled to raise money with COVID limitations still in place. Families already at-risk in our community, were the hardest hit and the result was an increase in kids coming into foster care. Our already struggling local lead Child Welfare agency, Eckerd crumbled under the pressure. Children were sleeping in offices, bouncing from home to home, sick and hurting children weren’t getting services, workers lost track of the kids on their caseloads, and foster homes were over-crowded and plagued by the rampant spread of the virus.  In November, our State Department of Children & Families announced that Eckerd was out, contract terminated effective December 31st.  This lead to a month of confusion, unanswered calls, child welfare workers wondering if they would be employed in 2022, foster parents left to handle things on their own, court hearings cancelled, dozens of local agencies, like Fostering Hope, not knowing what would become of their partnership with Eckerd (all contracts were scheduled to terminate December 31st) and most of all, our community’s children all at a greater risk than ever.