4KIDSa Home for Every Child

HOME:the place where one lives • especially together as a family • a place of affection, joy and happiness • a valued refuge and resting place • a habitation offering security and protection, where friendships flourish • the place you belong

noun \hom\

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There is nothing worse than a closed door when you really need to get to the other side. This is especially true when you are a vulnerable child, desperately looking for protection, for a person who cares, for a family to belong to forever. For the last 17 years we’ve been working hard to open doors for kids in crisis, and this year with the help of so many who believe in our mission we opened some exciting doors.

For every child entering foster care in Palm Beach County, we opened a door at SafePlace 4KIDS, so the first few moments in foster care are experienced with dignity and compassion. For teenage girls vulnerable to sexual exploitation and human trafficking, Mercy Place was opened, so each girl can discover her true God-given value. For children who need a family to stay with, we opened 82 more doors as we created more foster homes than ever before. In fact, 4KIDS became the fastest growing foster care organization in Broward County. Beyond

South Florida, doors are opening to expand the vision of 4KIDS throughout the state and beyond because this vision of “a home for every child” is not bound to one community.

We have not opened these doors alone. It is through a committed partnership of churches, corporations, foundations, and individuals that 4KIDS has been given the ability to take these steps. And when the next child we help walks through the next door that opens, there will be that sense of relief, security, and acceptance that every child deserves. Won’t you join our 4KIDS team as we partner together to make that moment a reality for the next child?

MESSAGE FROM 4KIDS

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TOGETHER WE CAN OPEN MORE DOORS FOR THE MODERN-DAY ORPHANS IN OUR COMMUNITIES.

We Have an Orphan Problem in America...

But 4KIDS is Making an Impact

4KIDS began in 1997 and is committed to the mission of “A Home for Every Child.” The 4KIDS innovative approach provides a continuum of care for kids in crisis that has been recognized as a national model of excellence. The map above represents inspired people around the nation who are joining in similar efforts to serve children across the United States. 4KIDS is on a mission to share the need and help others change the face of foster care in their own community.4

ALABAMA• Birmingham• Huntsville• TuscaloosaALASKA• AnchorageCALIFORNIA• Central• GrassValley• LakeForest• LosAngeles• Rebly• SantaAnaCOLORADO• ColoradoSprings• Denver• EnglewoodFLORIDA• BrowardCounty• CapeCoral• DaytonaBeach• Deltona• Hollywood• IndianRiverCounty• Jacksonville• Kissimmee• LynnHaven• MartinCounty• Naples• OkeechobeeCounty• Orlando• OrmondBeach• PalmBeachCounty• Panhandle• Pensacola• PortSt.Lucie• Seffner• St.LucieCounty• St.Petersburg• Tallahassee• Tampa• TampaBay• VeroBeachGEORGIA• Atlanta• StatesboroIDAHO• Boise• NampaILLINOIS• Eureka• RochesterINDIANA• FortWayne• IndianapolisIOWA• BondurantKANSAS• TowandaKENTUCKY• Lancaster• LouisvilleLOUISIANA• BatonRouge• LakeCharles• Metairie• NewOrleans

MARYLAND• Baltimore• Columbia• N.BeachMICHIGAN• GrandRapids• Holland• PlymouthMINNESOTA• Minneapolis• WolvertonMISSOURI• ParkvilleNEBRASKA• LincolnNEVADA• LasVegasNEWJERSEY• Central• OldBridgeNEWYORK• HudsonValley• TiogaCountyNORTHCAROLINA• Asheville• BlackMountain• KernersvilleOHIO• CantonOKLAHOMA• OklahomaCityOREGON• Beaverton• Eugene• GrantsPass• Portland• TualatinPENNSYLVANIA• ChaddsFordSOUTHCAROLINA• Clinton• Greenville• MyrtleBeachTENNESSEE• Franklin• PutnamTEXAS• Austin• Dallas• Houston• Rowlett• Waco• WaxahachieVIRGINIA• Charlottesville• McLean• Soutside• StuartsDraftWASHINGTON• GigHarbor• Kent• Seattle• Spokane• Tacoma• UniversityPlace

ALLY & SATELLITE OFFICESSatellite Offices

Allies

Satellite Offices: Adopted 4KIDS mission and vision

Allies: Inspired by 4KIDS to help orphans

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SAFEPLACETHERE IS A

FOR HURTING KIDS

AGEBREAKDOWN

AGES 6-12AGES 13+

46%

AGES 0-5

28%26%

As more and more kids come through SafePlace needing protection,our community has an unprecedented opportunity to take ownership of caring for them.

WILL YOU HELP PROVIDE A SAFE PLACE AND A SAFE FAMILY FOR THESE CHILDREN?

Having an emergency intake and placement facility like SafePlace makes a real difference for children coming into care. It offers them trauma informed care during a difficult time in their young lives, and gives us an opportunity to locate the most appropriate home to ensure stability. SafePlace improves our ability to find homes to care for siblings groups, teens, and children with special needs.-Emilio Benitez, CEO, ChildNet

BROWARD COUNTY SAFEPLACE:

SafePlace 4KIDS: provides comfort, support, and encouragement for children during their

journey into foster care. Operating 24/7, there are warm meals, beds to rest on, shower facilities,

toys, books, and playrooms for infants, toddlers, children, and teens. Most importantly, there is

a loving spirit from caregivers whose hearts are concerned with comforting the child.

1,045 7,963 1,026 248INDIVIDUAL KIDS MEALS SERVED KIDS PACKS PROVIDED SIBLING GROUPS

SAFEPLACE: THE FRONT DOOR OF FOSTER CARE

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by Dana Render

Sweet Babies

SafePlace Palm Beach

As I get comfortable in my bed tonight, I can’t help but feel a tinge of guilt because I am in a familiar bed in a familiar house with all the food and entertainment I need.

Today at SafePlace I spoke with a young lady who said she really missed her mom even though her mom is the one who gave her the bad “pow pow.” No matter what abuse allegations a parent has against them, their child(ren) will love them. We talked about God and she helped me get dinner ready.

Later, we had a sibling group of four children come in around bedtime. They all got a bath, footy pajamas, and some ravioli. By midnight everyone was in bed. The

two sets of twins (we have had six sets of twins come to SafePlace this month!), three toddlers, two teens, and two preschool aged kids were finally in their beds and asleep. Eleven kids...eleven sweet babies who don’t know when they will see mommy and daddy again. In all, we had sixteen kids come through SafePlace today. I’m not a super emotional person, but sometimes it takes all I have in me to keep from crying when talking to these children. It’s unfair that they are living through trauma after trauma and their childhood seems to be spoiled by an adult’s irresponsibility. I can’t forget that my God is bigger. He already has a plan for each of these precious ones.

This year SafePlace Palm Beach was built to serve children coming into foster care in all of Palm Beach County. In a f lood of support from the local community and agency leaders, 4KIDS and ChildNet worked together to replicate the success in Broward County and created this new 24/7 facility to care for abused, abandoned, and neglected children during their most vulnerable moments.

A special thank you to all those who made SafePlace Palm Beach a reality!

The first thing we try to do is restore that child’s hope. -Andre Morris,Director of SafePlace Broward

Volunteer rocks baby

Toddler putting her baby to sleep

4KIDS Women of Vision in Palm Beach prepare for construction

SAFEPLACE: THE FRONT DOOR OF FOSTER CARE11

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Can you imagine celebrating your sixth birthday in a shelter? Can you picture saying good-bye to your four-year-old sister because there wasn’t a home that would take both of you? What about turning eighteen and having nowhere to go because your stay in “the system” was over? Modern-day orphans face these moments everyday and 4KIDS believes that their stories should be different. In fact, we are always looking around our communities to see what issues are most

affecting the kids we serve. This year, we saw an increase in the need for more safe homes for teenage girls in foster care. So with the help of women in the community, we opened Mercy Place.

MERCY PLACEThis summer we had an unprecedented number of young girls come into foster care through SafePlace. Victims of human trafficking rings are from a vicious industry that entraps and exploits them. They are forced to become young women prematurely, never free to be little girls. Their transition into foster care can extend their trauma if a safe home cannot be found.

Recently, SafePlace cared for a fifteen-year-old girl who had been using cocaine to cope with her pain—her mother had given her the drug for the first time when she was just eight years old! When she asked a 4KIDS team member why we care so much about helping her get away from the danger of trafficking, he said, “We love you, because of Christ’s love for us. We will do everything we can to help you.”

We have seen a large influx at SafePlace of vulnerable teen girls in need of a loving home and are taking action to help protect them. The Mercy Place house is filled with at-risk young girls in foster care between the ages of 11-17. Our mission is to make Mercy Place a welcoming refuge for the most vulnerable girls we serve. Many teen girls in foster care are being targeted by human traffickers and falling prey to the dangers of the sex industry. Our hope is that Mercy Place will be a place of safety and intervention where girls can be protected from these destructive lifestyles and experience hope for their futures.– Katy Mills, 4KIDS Staff

littleFree to be

girlsAN OPEN DOOR FOR YOUNG GIRLS

A bedroom at Mercy PlaceMercy Place girls with their house mom, Jen8

A child’s first night in foster care is a confusing and fearful moment in time. The best word

I can use to describe that moment is – vulnerable. I wish everyone could witness that moment so they could grasp both the depth of helplessness and sorrow of a broken family, as well as the power and comfort of the Christian family. I know for certain if you witnessed those first few moments, it would change you forever. That’s what happened to a new foster family I talked to recently. They told me about their anxiety-filled car ride to pick up their first foster child at a shelter. Four-year old Sean was waiting outside on the sidewalk dwarfed by a shelter worker. When they got home, they showed him around the house and then to his “new” room. After they prayed a bed-time prayer, they tucked him in for the night. Sean fell asleep right away while they were up all night wondering, praying, excited, hopeful. They were now responsible for the little boy sleeping in the next room. At breakfast the next morning, they asked Sean how he slept. His face lit up as he replied with a mixture of relief and joy, “There are no monsters here!”

I don’t know about you, but in the home I grew up in, the monsters were infrequent guests. And if they did have the guts to show up in my closet, they had a lot to fear – because my dad was just down the hall. Fear at night comes so naturally to children, and they need their parents help to know how to defeat it.

But so many kids from broken homes do not have this source of comfort. There is no parent down the hall to wake up. No knowledge of a God they can run to for safety. Nothing to do except sit in the dark – listening to the sound of their heart, beating in silent fear. And while many of these children sit in fear with no one to help them, a little bit of their soul dies. They learn there is no one they can trust, no one that will come when they cry out, no

one that is strong enough to really help them.

At 4KIDS, we talk to children every week whose greatest fear is nighttime, because that’s often when the beatings or abuse comes their way. It is

in the night that the enemy of our souls does his worst, keeping his dark promise to be “the thief who comes to steal, kill and destroy” (John 10:10). This darkness and fear also robs a

child’s future. People often wonder why children in foster care have such poor school academic performance. Research shows us the clear links between sleeplessness and its side effects: decreased attention span, weak immune system, anxiety, and depression.

This is where the power of the Christian family breaks through – because light is always more powerful than darkness. As broken children come into families where God is at the center, they intuitively sense the difference. “There are no monsters here.”

God’s perfect provision for every child is amazingly simple – a family. There is a calming power associated with being tucked in at night. The comfort of being safely laid down for the day and prayed over – ultimately entrusted to the ONE who is stronger, wiser, and immune to the monsters and the dragons of our past. Knowing that you are watched over and loved by family brings a peace of mind that leads to rest. It is a place where the nightmares fade, and hurting kids can become children again.

“Fairy tales do not tell children that dragons exist. Children already know

that dragons exist. Fairy tales tell children the dragons can be killed.”

G. K. Chesterton

To help you see the joy a child experiences when they are given a home and a family, view the beautiful story of Precious’ forever family by scanning here with your smart phone device.

NO MONSTERS HereTHEre aRE by Pastor Doug Sauder

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OUR HOMEWE OPENED by Jamey Hallas

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FAMILIES WHO OPENED THEIR HOMES

When I was eleven years old, God spoke to my parents and told them that He

wanted them to foster orphans in our community. After they had taken all of the necessary steps, our journey began. Always having babies come in that I could hold, feed, and love on excited me. Babies would come in and remain, on average, a few weeks. During this time their parents would take parenting classes and do whatever they could to get the child back, or find a willing relative to take the child. I loved having babies stay with us, at least until I grew attached and didn’t want to let go of their tiny little hands. I learned to trust God that His plan for the child’s life was greater than mine.

The first baby that I grew attached to was our very first foster child – Samuel. This cute, little, dark baby with the biggest eyes and most beautiful

smile had come out of an abusive home. We soon discovered that he was allergic to practically everything. It took a lot of thought to plan out what he could eat, but he had the best laugh ever, and it brought joy to all who heard it. I wanted to keep Samuel forever, so I prayed that he would never leave. After a long four and a half years, we were finally able to adopt him. That day was the happiest of my life!

Eventually, another adorable little boy named Joshua came into our home. The day he arrived, he was wearing a body cast because he had a broken femur due to abuse. Even though it was hard to hold him with his body cast – which smelled like urine most of the time –

we weren’t able to resist his cuteness. His dimples were so adorable, and he was always making silly little noises. Within ten months we were blessed with the option to adopt him. Right before the adoption, we found out that Joshua’s birth mom was pregnant with another baby, and it was a girl. When she was born, we were able to adopt her, too! Jacque became the sixth child in our family, and therefore we were not able to keep our doors open to more.

Though it was bittersweet that we couldn’t keep our doors open, rescuing these three children left us with a fantastic feeling. They have grown into such amazing kids, and I am blessed to be their big sister. I won’t ever have to worry about someone calling to say they are leaving us because I know they are right where God wants them. I really encourage anyone who is considering opening up their home to go ahead and do it. I promise that you will not regret it. Through this, not only has our family gotten bigger, but so have our hearts.

“AFTER A LONG FOUR AND A HALF YEARS, WE WERE FINALLY ABLE TO ADOPT HIM. THAT DAY WAS THE HAPPIEST OF MY LIFE!”

FOR MORE INFORMATION ON BECOMING A FOSTER FAMILY, VISIT WWW.4KIDSOFSFL.ORG/FOSTERCARE4KIDS11

4KIDS Family

4KIDS Independent Living young men with 4KIDS Leaders

4KIDS BiG Cardio 2014 4KIDS Family

Dwyane Wade visits SafePlace 4KIDS

4KIDS Advocates Adoptive Family Christmas Party

Gridiron Grill-Off

His Caring Place Moms & Babies

4KIDS Family

4KIDS Orphan Sunday4KIDS Dragon Slayers His Caring Place Car Donation

Broward President’s DinnerBaby Dedication

4KIDS Women of Vision Luncheon4KIDS Volunteer Appreciation

4KIDS is a partnership of individuals, churches, corporations, government agencies, and

foundations committed to creating community solutions for the modern-day orphan.

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4KIDS Family

4KIDS Family

4KIDS Independent Living young men with 4KIDS Leaders

4KIDS Family

Dwyane Wade visits SafePlace 4KIDS

4KIDS Advocates Adoptive Family Christmas Party

Gridiron Grill-Off

His Caring Place Moms & Babies

4KIDS Family

4KIDS Family

Voices 4KIDS Church Advocates

Independent Living Fellowship Night

4KIDS Family

Mom’s Life Mother

His Caring Place Preemiecelebrates her first Christmas

4KIDS Family

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OPEN YOUR HEARTto a child in crisisHere’s what some of the children and teens living in our 4KIDS family-style homes shared about the door that was opened for them in their time of crisis.

“His Caring Place has helped me

by giving me a safe place to live

when I had nowhere to go. They

helped me save my money and

helped me learn more about babies

to become a better mommy. My

daughter and I are very grateful.“

Love, Vanessa

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BROWARD COUNTY

PALM BEACH COUNTY

Number of children removed last year:

Hear from 4KIDSFoster Families

Does Home Look Like You?

1,045

1,055

“I’m going to lay here with you. And we are going to be okay.”– Older brother

to his younger brotherat SafePlace

LOCAL STATS

HOMESWANTED

“His Caring Place has changed me a lot. I am thankful for having a place to live with loving people. I love it here because we are one big spiritual family that God brought us together. His Caring Place is teaching me to be independent. It is also showing me how to tell someone how I feel.” - Christina

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CHURCHES

4KIDSOPENDOORS

their

to

Churches across South Florida opened their doors to the cause of local children in crisis with an unprecedented show of support for the mission of 4KIDS. In a growing movement of recruitment, pastors across Broward and Palm Beach Counties shared their platform with 4KIDS advocates and promoted the need for more foster families. An increased awareness for the needs of local orphans and single moms rose to the forefront of many church outreach plans and foster parent training classes began to fill up with families from these local churches. 4KIDS advocates used their voices in the local church and made 4KIDS the fastest growing foster care agency in Broward County.

new foster families were licensed to take in

a lonely child through these efforts

women joined “Voices 4KIDS” a group dedicated

to orphan advocacy in their churches

church visits

Host a 4KIDS Orphan Sunday to create awareness

in your church

Adopt SafePlace for one week by providing for the tangible needs

of the children in emergency care

Share the need for foster parents with your congregation

and advertise foster parent training

Contact TomL@4KIDSofsfl.org or call 954-979-7911 to learn how your church

can get involved

“Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble…” James 1:27

“Creating a culture of orphan care in a church causes a great sense of fulfillment for its congregation, because 4KIDS is not the solution for these children, but a conduit for their cause - the local church is the solution!” – Tom Lukasik, VP of Community Engagement

“Victory Church is proud to partner with 4KIDS. The church is called to care for the orphans and carry the message of hope; what better place for 4KIDS to turn to than the church to open their hearts to help bring hope to every child? Our partnership with 4KIDS helps Victory accomplish our mission to care and share God’s love and hope.” Pastor Don Karpinen

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4KIDS Orphan Sunday is a practical way for the local church to engage in the mission of “A Home for Every Child.” It opens the doors for the message that kids in our community need help and raises awareness about the need for safe and loving foster families. Hosting an 4KIDS Orphan Sunday builds advocacy for the kids - which helps to ensure that they are placed in homes where they can grow and be nurtured.

4KIDS ORPHANWhat is

SUNDAY?

We Never ForgetExcerpt from a letter that was shared at 4KIDS Orphan Sunday, encouraging people not to forget the children who could face growing up in a system that can’t succeed without loving and caring foster families.

Even though I was a young child, I recall the moment as if it were yesterday, the day I was taken from my parents. The social worker and police came into the principal’s office and escorted my brother and me into a red vehicle – telling us we would never have to be afraid again. I remember the fear, the anguish, the feeling of guilt. What if my father retaliated on my sister when he found out who told? This fear haunted me for years. My brother and I were placed together, but my younger sister who had special needs, screamed as she was taken away. Our family was ripped apart by the stroke of a pen as one phone call from my school changed the course of our lives forever.

Later that evening, my siblings and I were driven to our first of many foster homes. I may have been just a child, but even now I can remember exact details, people and feelings. It took me decades to make peace with what happened to me. Not only did my birth parents fail me but also a system that took me away from my only family to “protect me” placed me in homes where I continued to be abused and had no one to turn to.

My foster mother used to drive me to school every morning filling my ears foretelling that I would never amount to anything. This was hard for me to understand – I was already dealing with being rejected, now being a “paycheck” only lead me to further disappointment and a lack of trust in humanity. We never forget.

I am a former foster child who defeated statistics and abusers. These scars, I carry them proud, they have made me the woman I am today. I am not what happened to me, I am what I chose to become.-Maria 17

UNLOCKEDTHE

4KIDS helps children unlock their potential

His caring place

FUTURE

As a teen, Ashton found herself trapped in a life of drugs and domestic violence. When she got pregnant, she fled her abusive situation to protect her unborn child and found His Caring Place

in Florida. Her life was at a point where there were no more options and knew she needed a miraculous

change. She shared, “When I moved into His Caring Place I had nothing. I had been

in jail, dropped out of school, I had no job, and my life was

going nowhere fast.”

“Through this ministry, I truly surrendered my future to the Lord. Everything changed. I found healing through the support of my His Caring Place housemom and counselor. I found a way to break the cycle through volunteers who watched my baby so I could go to college.

I found a great job in a doctors’ office. I bought

a car. Most importantly, I was taught how to be a Godly mom.” Doors keep opening for Ashton and she has now moved to North Carolina to attend Duke University to become a nurse. She is also committed to being a voice for women experiencing abuse and helping to encourage them to find

a way out.

ASHTON ANDGABRIEL’S STORY

DAMON’S STORY

Two-year-old Damon was placed in a 4KIDS home after a difficult beginning filled with abuse and fear. Because of his limited verbal expression and delayed behaviors, he was diagnosed with autism. When his guardian ad litem came to visit him after he had spent some time in his new foster home, she was amazed! She said, “This isn’t the same boy! I’ve never seen him smile before. I’ve never seen him play!” Damon’s new foster family had helped him open up and begin to trust again! Now he belly laughs and talks all the time. He’s proud to show off his room and his foster parents are moving forward to get the autism label removed – this precious child just needed a family to love him!

Ashton and her son Gabriel after her graduation from His Caring Place

foster care

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ALY’S DREAMOne little girl has made a BIG impact for 4KIDS! From garage sales to shoe drives, her heart to help others is an inspiration to everyone around her. One of Aly’s dreams was to get her whole school involved helping 4KIDS and she did it!

Her principal approved a shoe drive for foster children and she has collected over 100 pairs of shoes. Recently, she used her birthday to host a Pajama Jam and collected more than 60 pairs of sneakers and 52 pairs of pajamas to help clothe kids when they enter foster care.

ADVOCATES Open Doorsfor Kids!

WADE’S WORLD

SOUTH FLORIDAORPHAN’S CLASSIC AND AUCTION

Publix and Dwyane Wade helped to make the holidays a little brighter for the kids at SafePlace when the basketball superstar dropped by with Christmas gifts this year. He offered them the encouragement that they could be anything they want to be, no matter what difficult circumstances they face. SafePlace workers watched as hope came into sad little eyes, and then the kids offered special homemade letters to D Wade as a thank you. Wade’s World made an impact at 4KIDS!

Every year on Columbus Day, golfers come together at the South Florida Orphans Classic to get their game on and support children in crisis. Last year, they raised almost $100,000 to open doors for kids! Event founder, Ray Ouellette shares, “I have always had a desire to help the fatherless and I connected to kids who were victims…God opened doors for me to volunteer at 4KIDS and use my talents and resources to assist in the 4KIDS mission.”

DAMON’S STORY

Miami Heat’s Dwyane Wade visits SafePlace

4KIDS Board Member, Ray Ouellette

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Our vision is a home for every child, and that means a focused effort on continuing to build new families, homes, and affiliates so every hurting child can be

placed in a loving home.

THAT’S OVER 2,000 KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY SERVED BY 4KIDS ANNUALLY!

FUNDINGSOURCES

Individuals: 38%

Government: 20%

Foundations: 17%Churches: 12%

Corporations: 11%

Other: 2%

72%

PROGRAMS11%

ADMINISTRATION17%

ADVOCACY & DEVELOPMENT

72%

11%

17%

A HOME FOR EVERY CHILD

Numbers taken from FY 2013-2014

NEW HOMES OPENED(50% MORE HOMES)

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4KIDSLAUNCHED• 4KIDS Mercy Place

• 4KIDS Women of Vision

• Voices 4KIDS

• SafePlace Palm Beach

• 4KIDS of South Texas

• Treasure Coast Foster Care

home for at-risk teen girls

advocating for children’s rights in Palm Beach

sharing the need with local churches

opening a 24/7 facility in Palm Beach County

1st 4KIDS Affiliate

recruiting, training, and licensing families in the 4-County area

THAT’S OVER 2,000 KIDS IN OUR COMMUNITY SERVED BY 4KIDS ANNUALLY!

A HOME FOR EVERY CHILD

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Being part of a family means you are part of something wonderful. It means that you will love

and be loved for the rest of your life.

Open a Doorfor a child...

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1. SEE THE NEEDGo on a Vision Tour. Discover how you can help abused, abandoned, and neglected children by

taking an interactive tour of 4KIDS.

2. HELP BUILD FAMILIESGive financially to help the next child. Your

partnership can change the future for a modern-day orphan.

3. USE YOUR VOICE Share the story of 4KIDS with your circle of influence and help create more voices

for kids in need.

4. OPEN YOUR HOMEBecome a foster family and provide

a home for a child.

To learn more about how you can open doors for children through 4KIDS, visit us at

4KIDSOFSFL.ORG or call 954-979-7911.

/4KidsofSFL

@4KIDSofSFLA

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For more information visit 4KIDSOFSFL.ORG.