The Varner Foundation | Our Blog
The Crisis.
BROKEN PROMISES. Children are placed in Foster Care every day with well-intentioned promises of a better life for themselves. They are promised a safe home where they will be nurtured and have a family that can be called their own…. that is until they are 18 years old. For a vast majority of these kids, the promises that were made to them when they entered the “system” are now empty words that have no meaning.
More than 23,000 children will age out of the US foster care system every year and over a quarter of them will instantly become homeless. Many are still suffering from direct effects of PTSD, and more than half won’t be steadily employed until they are 24. Only 3% will ever go to college and 7 out of 10 girls will be pregnant by 21.
So, when the VF was contacted to help purchase a bed, mattress and dresser for a young man who had just aged out and had no support, but had worked two jobs through High School, saved his money, and was given a full scholarship to a community college, we didn’t hesitate to give him our support. Support that was far more than three pieces of furniture. Support that showed him he had value, that others believed in him and what he was capable of, and support that would enable him to get a fresh start on the rest of his life. This is what donations to the VF can do …. help mend some broken promises to really hardworking special kids. Thank you, donors!
