Help us send foster kids to summer camp!
Background:
My wife Dezarie and I adopted our three youngest children from the state. (Pictured here they were 2, 1, and 5 days old when they came home with us.) They were relatives of our family, but without our intervention, they would likely have been separated and placed as foster kids in other homes. They were considered \'special needs\' since they were a sibling group. And five years later they were fully adopted and our children forever!
Most of us cannot even imagine what life would be like without a family structure. Even a single-parent family structure is more stable and suitable for children than a foster environment.
Our experience and interaction with the children's caseworkers taught us that most foster children are not treated as part of the family. Christmas, birthdays, and entertainment are provided by the state. Caseworkers have been known to make arrangements for foster kids to spend vacation time with another family since the kids are often not invited to go on their foster family\'s annual trips.
Childhood is a time of tough personal growth for us all, but imagine going through childhood treated like an outcast. Imagine not having a steady adult presence in your life to guide you. Even caseworkers are still doing a job (and a thankless one at that) "“ a job they can leave, be fired from, and provide no stability in a young person\'s life.
The Mission:
Our most rewarding and memorable vacations with our kids have always been camping trips. This allows us to spend time playing games, swimming, hiking, geocaching, reading, or just talking "“ no computers, phones, or interruptions of any kind. This experience means a great deal to any family, so imagine how much more it will mean to foster kids new to this family environment. They would have a safe place to grow and be together without stigma or judgement from their peers.
Virtual Camper is raising money to send Foster kids to summer camp. The sole reason for this organization will be to provide a continuous cash flow and labor pool to the foundation to send foster kids to the summer camps of their choice.
For the first year while this business model is being implemented, 100% of the donations collected "“ up to $10,000 "“ will be presented to one camp in Florida as a scholarship fund until all infrastructure is in place for sending individual kids to the camps of their choice.
Furthermore, I will see that all proceeds donated for the start-up of this business will be matched dollar-for-dollar with corporate donations to this same camp.
What You Can Do:
Check out the foundation website www.fosterkidscamp.com
Like us on facebook @virtualcampers
Support us by donating and sharing our idea with your friends and family.
If 1,000 people give $25 each, we will make our goal for this month. The money raised, including the dollar-for-dollar match, will create a $50,000 donation to send foster kids to camp next year!
Donate today!
Once we are set up, there will also be volunteer opportunities available to aid in the logistics of getting children into the individual camps.