Voices For Children Helps Almost 300 Miami Dade Foster Children Get Ready For A New School Year

 Voices For Children partners with Old Navy, in the Shoppes of Dadeland, to provide approximately 300 foster youth with school uniforms and essential clothing
MIAMI – August 1, 2016 –Voices For Children Foundation celebrated their 6^th Annual Back to School Event on July 31, 2016.  The Old Navy store located at 7220 North Kendall Drive in Miami was closed to the public between 5:00 and 9:00pm in order to give almost 300 children between the ages of 4-18 in Miami-Dade County foster care an opportunity to shop for uniforms and supplies for the new school year.
Each child received a $75 gift card to spend during their VIP shopping experience with volunteers serving as personal shoppers. While the children waited to shop they were treated to all natural gourmet popsicles generously provided by PopLab and were greeted by Burnie the Miami Heat Mascot. Mayor Carlos Gimenez spoke to some former foster youth who are recent graduates of Voices For Children’s “It Takes A Village” program. They were present at the event to provide assistance to the children by sharing their time and experience.
The event was made possible thanks to donations from Old Navy, The Mickey and Madeline Arison Family Foundation and the generous support of the public who donated during our Back to School fundraising campaign.
About Voices For Children Foundation
Voices For Children Foundation is a non-profit organization that raises money to help ensure that abused, abandoned and neglected children in Miami-Dade County each receive a court appointed Guardian ad Litem to advocate for them throughout the legal process.  In addition, Voices For Children offers direct financial assistance and other resources to provide for medical, educational and social needs.
In an effort to address the needs of children aging out of foster care, Voices For Children created the “It Takes A Village” program to offer motivated but disadvantaged dependent or formerly dependent youth and young adults with the funding and other support needed to successfully attend and graduate from college in order to become healthy and productive adults and contributing community members.
Currently, there are more than 3000 children in Miami-Dade County’s foster care system.  Almost 30% have no Guardian ad Litem representation.  On average, children with a Guardian ad Litem volunteer are less likely to languish in foster care and twice as likely to find a safe and permanent home.  For more information, please visit www.BeAVoice.org.
 
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