Heartland for Children

📚✨ Help Us Make a Difference! ✨📚 Join us in supporting kids in foster care as they head back to school! We're excited to be partnering with Jockey Being Family to host a Back to School Bash in July. Therefore, we're kicking off a school supply drive and we need YOUR help to ensure every child starts the year with the tools they need to succeed. 💖🎒✏️📓 You can make a financial donation or purchase supplies directly from our Amazon Registry. Every contribution, big or small, brings us one step closer to our goal. Let's come together to make this school year amazing for these incredible kids! To donate or view our Amazon registry, visit https://lnkd.in/eXPBHBvT. Thank you for your generosity and support! 💕 #BackToSchool #SupportFosterKids #DonateNow #CommunityLove

As we're coming to the end of #NationalFosterCareMonth, we want to give a shoutout to all of our amazing foster families, like the Strawbridge family, for saying "YES" to providing love and support to children and families in our community! 🏡❤️

Just last week, in Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties, our Placements Team needed to identify safe and loving homes for a total of 38 children and teens (and a total of 7 sibling groups)! 📷This is just a snapshot of the constant need for foster families, especially for teens and sibling groups. Are you ready to open your ❤️ and 🏡? Join us for our next Foster Care Info Nights on Tuesday, June 4th at 6:30PM in Bartow. To get started, 📞863-519-8900 x 289 or visit https://lnkd.in/e4ZAcPed. #NationalFosterCareMonth

📢Shoutout to our Transition Age Youth Services (TAYS) Team for presenting our Circuit 10 Housing Service Array and Partnerships to our local housing authorities for our Foster Youth Initiative (FYI) Voucher Program. We're so thankful to have such a dynamic team that is continually advocating for our youth aging out of care and preparing them to successfully step into adulthood. ❤️

IT'S A MATCH! 🎉🥳 We're excited to share that we identified a forever family for a 13-year old boy! 💙 If you'd like to learn more about our teens available for adoption, check out our Heart Gallery at https://lnkd.in/d_xv72v. #adoption #adoptteens #GoodNews

Today we remember and honor the brave men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our country on this Memorial Day. We are forever grateful for your service and sacrifice. 💙❤🤍 #MemorialDay #NeverForget

Are you a Polk County resident? If so, take this 10-minute survey and be entered to win a $100 GIFT CARD! Polk Vision's survey is an excellent way for you to be HEARD and the results of this will help to identify top priorities and directly impact steps taken to improve outcomes in #PolkCounty. 👉Take the survey here: https://lnkd.in/egPtJfVs

🔔NEW EPISODE: Miss Florida Hometown USA Teen's Journey from Foster Care to Returning Hope As May is National Foster Care Month, we're back with a very special episode of Let's Talk About It. Our guests, Emabella, Miss Florida Hometown USA Teen and her adoptive mom, Amanda, share their journeys of using their lived experience to "Return Hope" and give back to children and families in our community. ❤️ 🎧Listen to the full episode on Spotify or Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/eFh5M7pb 👀Watch full episode here: https://lnkd.in/ef5AjvBt #LetsTalkAboutIt #FormerFosterYouth #fostercare #adoption #NationalFosterCareMonth

Congratulations to our friends at the United Way of Central Florida for accomplishing 80 years of helping people achieve their dreams! 🎉🥳 You are a gift to our community and we appreciate all that you do. ❤️

Over 15 years ago, the Prestridge Family started their foster care journey. Barbara shares her inspiration, "I wanted to make a difference in each life. A stable home where [children] can feel safe and loved at all times." Reflecting on how fostering has impacted their lives, she shares, "It's very rewarding and sometimes very hard. Sometimes you have to say goodbye and at other times it's very easy to let go because they're going to their [parent's] home. It's very rewarding when you see the children's faces and know that they're scared and know that you can make a difference." Barbara recalls, "My first baby that we got, we felt very happy to see him. We didn't know that we were going to have him for about three years. He became like he was ours. Still to this day, we keep in contact with him and get to see him." We're thankful for our foster caregivers who have said "YES" to provide safe and loving homes to children in need. To learn more, 📞863-519-8900 x 289 or visit https://lnkd.in/e4ZAcPed. #NationalFosterCareMonth