Bold Dreams
Over the years I have met some amazing champions not only in this job, but throughout my own journey as a Foster. All of them have offered me invaluable advice and I am forever thankful to all of you for pushing me to be unafraid to seek justice.
In the nonprofit world, we are too often starting from a place of compromise. Our fundraising is up against the perception that despite the wealth out there, resources for our work are scarce—especially in the child welfare space. However, imagine if we shifted our thinking. What if instead of starting from a scarcity mindset, we started from imagining what true justice looks like? It wasn’t until I joined the Foster Advocates team that I saw this vision fully realized through our team value:
This past spring we passed the Fostering Higher Education Act. Beginning next fall, all MN Fosters will have the opportunity to pursue higher education without having to worry about the price tag. Did I mention we passed this law in just ONE year?
This bold dream was sparked by Fosters, and succeeded because of Fosters. When the call for action went out, Fosters from across the state responded. It didn’t matter that we are in the middle of a pandemic, or that we had never met. It didn’t matter that no other state had attempted such a bold move before. Collectively we worked towards this dream by holding space virtually, sharing our stories, meeting with legislators, and preparing Fosters to be ready to testify with a moment’s notice.
I think it’s safe to say in the past 3 years, Foster Advocates has proven to be a bold organization, and one I am proud to be a part of.
I’ll be real; our bold dreams take bold giving. This year, we need to end the year strong by finishing our $15,000 goal so we can set our sights on expanded goals for next year—because we’re not backing down. Join us today with your bold gift to launch us into the next phase of our work together.
In Justice,
Ariana
Policy & Advocacy Manager
PS: After you make your bold gift, consider another bold step: if you think someone else in your world would like to know about our work, forward to them and cc info@fosteradvocates.org so we can say “hi” in the new year.