Increasingly, businesses are taking a leadership role in helping to improve the lives of children who live in foster care. In doing so, many companies are finding that by helping a child (and the family who cares for him) their employees are personally enriched and the company as a whole benefits-from increased employee morale, to a positive community image.

There are many ways you, your company and employees can help children in foster care. We've listed several below.

Grant Wishes to Children in Foster Care

Businesses and individuals can make a difference in the lives of foster children by providing some "normal" experiences of childhood-thus giving them hope for a brighter future. Help sponsor summer camp, music and martial arts lessons, sports team fees, computers, bicycles, and other items that help to build the self-esteem of children and teens.

Programs that provide items and opportunities especially to foster children exist throughout the state. Contact one from the list below.

CASA Partners
Serves children on the Spokane CASA caseloads by providing them with self-esteem building experiences, bags.
Contacts:
Gayle Kiser, glkiser@air-pipe.com
Camile Tilford, tilford@sisna.com, (509) 448-4711
Linda Barenz, windsong6@comcast.net, (509) 928-8647

Angels for Kids
Serves children with open case files in Franklin/ Benton County by providing them with self-esteem building experiences.
Contacts:
Debra Hoyes, chde300@dshs.wa.gov, (509) 737-2872
Jonnie Jenquin, rajj300@dshs.wa.gov, (509) 737-2844
Fax (509) 734-7199

KidsDream
Serves children in Snohomish County with DCFS case files with self esteem building experiences.
Contact:
Cindy Walker: Kidsdreamsnohomish@yahoo.com, (425) 356-9679

Treehouse
Treehouse serves children with an open DCFS case file in King County with extra-curricular activities, camp, tutoring, educational advocacy, college preparation and clothing.
Contacts:
Degale Cooper, degale@treehouseforkids.org, (206) 267-5120
Jane Fredricksen, jane@treehouseforkids.org, (206) 267-5115 to help Treehouse achieve it's mission

High 5 for Kids
Serves children with open case files in Pierce & Kitsap Counties by providing them with self-esteem building experiences.
Contact:
Luanne Hawley, Highfiveforkids@aol.com, (800) 539-9466

Bridge the Gap
Serves children in Clark County with open case files by providing them self-esteem building experiences.
Contact:
Tauni Hemminger, (360) 518-3022

Capital Kids Connection
Serves children with open case files in Thurston and Mason Counties by providing them with enriching, self-esteem building experiences.
Contact:
Sharon Versteeg, Capitalkidsconnection@hotmail.com.
Visit Capital Kids Connection online at www.capitalkidsconnection.org.

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Provide Pro-Bono Services
The single greatest gift that foster children can receive is a family to call their own. To find the right family for a child, a full 'recruitment campaign' needs to be done. Corporations can greatly assist in this critical work. Consider using your resources to help agencies effectively convey the unique gifts, hopes and needs within each child.

• Provide graphic design and printing services for materials (brochures, posters, mailers, advertisements) to support recruitment of foster and/or adoptive families.
• Provide color copy services for flyers about specific children waiting for adoption.
• Utilize your corporate media buys to leverage increased broadcast (radio or TV) or print (newspaper and/or magazine) public service announcements (PSAs) to recruit adoptive and foster families.
• Offer your company reader-boards to support local events and raise awareness about adoption and foster care.
• Take photos or make videos of children waiting to be adopted.
• Pay salary (or part of salary) for a public relations/recruitment expert.

For more information contact Northwest Adoption Exchange at (206) 441-6822 or toll-free 800-927-9411. Or visit them on the Web at www.nwae.org.

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Offer Employee Benefits that Encourage & Support Adoption and Foster Care
Providing adoption benefits and encouraging employees to become foster parents is surprisingly inexpensive. Less than ½ of 1% of any employee population will utilize adoption benefits during a year. The Small Business Job Protection Act of 1997 makes employer reimbursement of adoption costs non-taxable for families making below $75,000. Providing adoption benefits establishes equity with families receiving maternity benefits.

• Provide paid leave for new adoptive parents (equity with benefits given to birth parents). The leave provided in the Family and Medical Leave Act is not considered an adoption benefit.
• Offer flextime/part-time work as an option for foster and/or adoptive families to help accommodate new children.
• Include adoption-related expenses as an option in company cafeteria benefits plan.
• Let employees know about the rewards of adoption and/or foster care. (Publish positive stories in the employee newsletter and/or on the web site about employees who have adopted, are foster parents, mentors, provide respite care, or who were fostered or adopted themselves.)

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Encourage & Support Employee Volunteerism
Many employees would love the opportunity to help a child, but find that to help they must occasionally be able to volunteer during the workweek. Allowing some flexibility in schedules, so that employees can volunteer, has shown itself repeatedly as a corporate morale booster.

• Give time off or flex-time for employees to volunteer with foster children.
• Give time off or flextime to encourage employees to serve as volunteers and/or board members of non-profit child welfare organizations (see How Individuals Can Help).
• Use company communications (e.g., employee newsletter, web site, paycheck envelopes, employee fairs, orientation sessions, brown bag seminars, company e-mail or voice mail, informational flyers, management briefings, etc.) to provide information about volunteer opportunities.

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