Foster Love Project

Our Annual Retreat started in 2019 as a way for kids who experience foster care or adoption to have the opportunity to build relationships with other kids who experience similar life
circumstances and to bring foster/adoptive families together to connect with each other. After our first family retreat, registration for the next retreat filled in 22 minutes!
In 2020 & 2021, we had to shift to a virtual retreat due to covid safety precautions.
In 2022, we were able to bring back the family in retreat in person at Laurelville Retreat Center. We have received so much positive feedback from the families on the benefits of having a safe place for their family to come and how much this weekend of respite was a needed support to their family.
Each retreat we prioritize the voices of former foster youth and adult adoptees and provide intentional workshops to families to continue to learn how to best support kids who face similar situations.

Foster children experience trauma in many ways and one way that Foster Love Project supports their healing is with the Excellent Hair Care program. It is specifically designed for Black and Brown children in foster care because our experience shows that when placed within white foster families, their hair care is often overlooked. We work closely with multiple Black-owned businesses who educate foster parents on the essential care needed for their foster children. Textured hair requires specific products and treatment - this program provides the education alongside the products for Black and Brown children to have the proper care for their hair. We host educational hair care workshops, gift certificates for salon and barber shop visits and a variety of products and resources to ensure that kids receive excellent hair and skin care.

Every year, since our inception we have hosted a bag drive to provide foster children with their very own backpack of items that will help them feel loved and welcome in their new home. Foster children are often taken to an unfamiliar place with little to no time to plan, they must leave their belongings behind and there is trauma in this stage of their lives, that is eased a tiny bit by having a bag of carefully chose items that are age specific and brand new. Each bag includes an outfit, blanket, stuffed animal, socks, toothbrush/toothpaste, soap, bath pouf and a book. Each bag costs $75 in total and we serve over 2,000 children each year.

Each August we hold our annual Back 2 School event. Kids who are impacted by foster care and adoption are able to pre-register for the family-friendly event which includes food, games, face painting + more. At the event, each child gets to pick a new backpack, school supplies, a new hoodie and most exciting - new, brand-name shoes for the upcoming school year! Kids can often experience bullying at not having the "right" brand of shoes. We want to help remove barriers to bullying and ensure that kids can go back to school with dignity.

The Teen Connections Program has been developed to create a safe space for foster and adoptive teens to talk about unique challenges they face and make connections with teens who experience similar challenges and feelings. This includes topics covering everything from trans-racial families, mixed and conflicted feelings about having two families, sense of belonging and traumatic backgrounds. They will also have an opportunity to connect with adults adoptees or adults who experienced the foster care system as a youth. The teens meet monthly and have opportunities for fun activities, good food and discussion of a variety of topics designed to help them explore and communicate about their experience and emotions.