In the Buda area, an Austin-based charity supports 22 foster children and their families.
Austin Angels recruits, engages and trains groups of volunteers, such as friends, neighbors, church groups and businesses, to form a team for what the charity calls its Love Box program.
The teams are matched by Austin Angels with a foster family whom they sponsor for a year, Director of Programs Rebecca Rice said. Each month, the group delivers a box to the family filled with things the family needs on a daily basis, such as laundry detergent or toilet paper. The group also packs movie tickets and other gifts.
“We really encourage the volunteer groups to make it their own and tailor what they’re delivering every month to the needs of the family,” Rice said. “[We prioritize] building relationships with kids, telling them they’re important, cared for and thought about.”
There is a lack of stability for many children in the foster care system, she said. It is not unheard of for a child in the foster system for eight years to be moved to a new family 20 times.
“More often than not, kids live in unstable environments, and they don’t get the message that they’re important and that they’re loved and cared for,” she said. “Statistically, the outcomes for foster youth are unspeakable and unacceptable.”
According to Austin Angels, 80 percent of the prison system is made up of former foster youth. Additionally, 30 percent of the homeless population went through the foster care system. Only 3 percent of foster children who age out of the system at age 18 go on to earn college degrees, despite grants and funding that could provide free higher education.
“The biggest challenge is knowing how many obstacles these kids face,” Rice said. “Without caring adults intervening and stepping in to help, their outcome and their future is bleak. It’s a sad future. Statistically, we know that.”
In September, there were 66 children in foster care in Hays County, according to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.
“Our culture and our community is largely blind to the crisis that’s happening in the foster care system,” Rice said. “I feel like a lot of times when people hear what’s actually going on, they feel compelled [to help]. How can you not get involved?”
Rice said Buda-area residents can form a Love Box group to sponsor a family or pledge to make a monthly donation to Austin Angels.
“We know every one of the kids we serve has the potential to be great,” she said. “They just need the chance. They need someone to believe in them and guide them [to] live to their fullest potential.”
Austin Angels
512-577-0465 www.austinangels.com
