Causes: Adoption, Child Abuse Prevention, Children & Youth, Crime & Law, Domestic Violence, Foster Care

Mission: Connecting willing hands with opportunities to serve children in foster, adoptive & kinship care Vision: a loving, stable home for every child

Results: Our caregiver support services increase stability of foster care placements and reduce foster care drift for children in homes we serve. Foster parents involved in Embrace support groups continue serving 4 times longer than the national average. 48 children waiting for adoptive families have been featured in our mobile photograph exhibit "Portraits of Hope" and over 130 children have been represented at Child to Family connection events. Both of these efforts help find adoptive families for children lingering in foster care. Every teen who "ages-out" of foster care in North Texas has access to a "First Apartment Kit" though Embrace full of new, household supplies to outfit their first apartment or dorm.

Target demographics: children in foster, adoptive and kinship care

Direct beneficiaries per year: 32 youth "aging-out" of foster care, 78 foster/adoptive/kinship caregivers, 180 foster/adoptive children

Geographic areas served: Collin County, Texas

Programs: recruitment events for potential foster/adopt families, support groups & ongoing training to families caring for abused and neglected children, transitional services to youth aging out of foster care, and advocacy efforts regarding child welfare at the legislative and policy levels in Texas.