OUR CHILDREN

DESERVE A CHANCE

Voices For Children works in collaboration with the Guardian ad Litem Program to transform the lives of children in foster care. Together, we develop initiatives designed to most effectively ensure their needs are met and help break the cycle of abuse, abandonment and neglect that is so prevalent in low-income and poverty-stricken communities.

 

A Guardian ad Litem is a specially trained volunteer appointed by the court to protect and advocate for the best interest of a child involved in a court proceeding. They make independent recommendations to the court by focusing on the needs of each child.

VOICES RAISES FUNDS FOR THE FOLLOWING GUARDIAN AD LITEM PROGRAM INITIATIVES:

    • Child Advocacy:  Guardians ad Litem advocate for a child’s best interests, providing ongoing supervision and support throughout all aspects of the foster care process.
    • The Independent Living Project: meant for dependent youth (including specialized services for a growing number of human trafficking victims) provides advocacy for youth 13-22 years of age to ensure they are adequately prepared when they age out of foster care. Their GAL advocate will encourage them to persevere in school, at work and in making good decisions, despite many obstacles and challenges.
    • Volunteer Recruitment: focuses on the recruitment of caring volunteers from community and faith-based organizations, businesses and educational institutions. Through the Children’s Needs Program, Voices supplements insufficient State and Federal entitlements.  By addressing basic needs such as food, clothing, rent/utility assistance, furniture, transportation, etc, we help ease social and financial hardships.

One of the key predictors to ending the intergenerational cycle of abuse for foster children is education in combination with guidance from at least one caring, competent adult.

We strongly believe that this can make a tremendous difference in the long-term success of former foster children. It Takes A Village Life Scholarship Program provides a comprehensive array of educational support services plus financial and other resources for motivated students who are “aging or aged out of foster care.” By helping these youth persevere and earn a college degree, they are more likely to achieve sustainable employment and to make a successful transition to independent adulthood.

 

A troubling by-product of living in foster care is its facilitation to the rise of human trafficking.

Because of the overall inability to provide adequate care for these children, many of them run away from homes they are placed in. On average nationally, 1 in 6 reported runaways were likely sex trafficking victims. 86% of these likely victims were in the care of social services or foster care when they went missing.

Through various Human Trafficking Support initiatives, we are able to provide specialized advocacy, life coaching from an experienced survivor/mentor, offer financial assistance, and empowerment to build a positive future.

INITIATIVES

IT TAKES A VILLAGE LIFE
SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM

For many foster youth, obtaining a college degree is the beginning of their journey to stable employment, independent living and other positive life outcomes. Youth in foster care receive a free tuition waiver to any state university, however, for a variety of reasons, often financial, postsecondary education remains unreachable for most.

 

It Takes A Village Life Scholarship Program (ITAV) is a dynamic program focused on continuous improvement and growth. It provides funding for living expenses as well as ongoing guidance so that students have more time to concentrate on their studies and maintain a high grade point average. Financial resources have a positive impact on student’s academic lives, allowing them to enroll in college and obtain needed supplies, books and materials vital to their continued academic progress. Furthermore, students are receiving emotional support and encouragement by a caring staff that empowers them to pursue their goals.

Masters of Business Administration,
Florida International University, 2015

“Foster youth have to face emotional, familial and financial issues and on top of that deal with a debt for going to school. Zyman Foundation came through and they just helped. Without their help I probably wouldn’t have finished my degree. I wouldn’t have my MBA now.”

B.A., Graphic Design,
New World School of the Arts, 2015

“Great program! It helped me continue going to school and becoming successful. It helped me achieve something that I thought was impossible at one point in my life. A point when failure and success could have been decided by a coin toss.”

B.A., Journalism & Communications,
Florida International University, 2015

“The program has helped me tremendously. It gave me stability so I could stay focused in school. I also love the staff; they are like an extended family that care for you and are very supportive”.

Pursuing a BA in Supervision and Management,
Miami Dade College

“I am grateful for all the help that Voices provides me. I am really appreciative of it. I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far in school.

Before starting the program I had problems staying motivated, didn’t have ways to pay for schoolbooks and other essentials.  Even the little things they do for me like call me to say -continue this class, don’t give up- I appreciate them”.

Pursuing Commercial Driver License,
Stevens Transport

“For the longest time I believed there was no way out, but I’ve come a long way thanks to the support of my Voices For Children family.

The program is great. It gave me the opportunity to stay focused and keep going to reach my goals. I feel proud of who I have become”.

BACK TO SCHOOL

EVENT

For children in foster care, a sense of normalcy and fitting in is challenging to come by. Being able to enjoy the same things that children in stable, loving homes enjoy such as new uniforms at the beginning of the school year is very important. Something like the wrong sized outfit or a hand-me-down uniform can be a huge blow to their already fragile self-esteem.

 

Since 2011, Voices For Children has partnered and hosted a private event providing hundreds of Miami-Dade children in foster care with new school uniform, and other essentials. Foster children between four years and 18 years old who are currently in the dependency system and represented by the 11th Judicial Circuit Guardian ad Litem Program have the opportunity to shop and select their own clothing to ensure they have what they need and want for the new school year.

 

In the past seven years approximately 3,000 children have benefited from this initiative.

HOLIDAY DRIVE

This community-wide effort ensures that children in the dependency system receive a gift during the holiday season. The Voices For Children Annual Holiday Drive has benefited thousands of children in Miami-Dade’s Foster Care system since 1989.

 

Get into the spirit and help ensure that every child in the dependency system enjoys the season by participating in our annual holiday drive. Whether you drop off new, unwrapped toys and gift cards, or donate online for us to do the shopping for you, there are many ways you can bring our children holiday joy.

ARTISTIC EXPRESSIONS WORKSHOPS

Artistic Expressions Workshops offer enrichment opportunities to children in areas such as painting and photography. The workshops are designed to offer youth a means to heal the pain of their difficult lives, gain a sense of control, find a positive outlet for self-expression and enhance their sense of well-being.

In 2018, Voices partnered with Dreams Hatchery Foundation to offer “As I See Myself” workshops to children in foster care of different ages. The workshop invites children to look at themselves in a mirror, see their dreams and draw their future on a canvas. Since then, over 450 children have had the opportunity to explore their artistic skills and engage in a healing experience.

PROJECT BIRTHDAY

Due to the circumstances surrounding children in foster care, many often don’t know the experience of celebrating their birthday. A birthday celebration reinforces a child’s sense of self-worth. It recognizes them as individuals and makes them feel special. Project Birthday was created as a morale-booster so that each child knows they are special and deserving. Your donation of $50 provides a child in foster care with a cake and a party on their birthday. Contact Dorothy Marin at 786.469.3862 or by email at DMarin@BeAVoice.org to learn more or donate here.