Patrick says growing up he had his mother teach him how to love. He says, "I pull from that example. I am a dad with a mother-sized heart." Patrick wants to give his three boys the space to be vulnerable and make mistakes. He wants them to know he will always have their back and be there to ride this journey together.

To all of our fathers:
Those who are fostering or kinship fathers
Those who are adoptive fathers
Those who have strained father relationships
​Those who are biological fathers
Those who have strained child relationships
Those who have lost children
Those who have lost fathers
Those who have chosen not to be fathers
Those who yearn to be fathers
...to all of you, we celebrate you.

Happy Father's Day!

​This month we recognize the people and efforts around the country that help families stay together. We also want to celebrate the families who have gone above and beyond to provide a healthy home for their children.

Watch the video below to learn more about reunification from National Angels’ Chief Program Officer!.

Stay tuned for more education on and stories about reunification throughout the month on Instagram and Facebook!

We need caregivers who are committed to being a lasting placement to minimize the trauma of our children and youth experiencing foster care. However, too many foster parents and kinship caregivers do not have the necessary support systems in place as they welcome children and youth into their hearts and homes.

75% of the licensed homes stop taking children within about 2 years. We know that many foster parents feel. isolated and undersupported, regularly experiencing high family stressors, lack of social connections, and financial and emotional strain. The turnover rate for foster parents is notoriously high.

Oftentimes foster parents feel overwhelmed taking care of children from hard places without support systems, and parenting within a complicated and complex system. They are at high risk of closing their homes or not having the resources to provide adequate care for children. The repeated trauma of placement changes has devastating consequences for the developing child and creates a deep sense of loss of family, home, and identity.

Jagger and Jordan understand how difficult fostering (and parenting in general) can be, so they frequently sit down with their Love Box family, Royce and Juanita, and ask questions to better understand how they can best support them. Jagger shows up every month by taking the kids out on bike rides and hiking trips, allowing Royce and Juanita to have time for themselves. Jordan will stay back and provide a listening ear by asking how they're feeling, how the kids are feeling, and through those questions, they get to build a genuine connection and alleviate some of the stress they might be feeling.

Kristina was interested in getting involved with the Love Box program but didn’t feel she had the time to give, so she asked her friend Pavritha if she would like to volunteer with her. Pavritha has always enjoyed children and fell in love with the idea right away. While Pavritha was looking to volunteer her time, Kristina only wanted to give financially. However, once Kristina met the family, she knew she wanted to be involved in a bigger way.

Kristina and Pavritha were matched with a single mother of three-year-old twins. This was the mom’s first placement, so Kristina and Pavritha especially wanted to support her in any way they could.