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Understandably, almost half of foster parents choose to not accept another placement, citing lack of support as a strong contributing factor. Foster Village Charlotte plays a critical role in supporting and maintaining a family’s ability to foster a child. They show up in real, tangible ways, so the families feel seen, understood, and supported.
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When Foster Village Charlotte joined Cultivate in 2020, they were an emerging organization that had a groundswell of grassroots support, an ambitious vision and deep passion for local children and families. The FVC team had recently moved into a Center that would serve as a home for their support groups, Welcome Pack storage and space for foster families and biological families to work together to support the children in their care. At Foster Village Charlotte (FVC), the commitment to providing a supportive space for children and foster families goes beyond the ordinary. FVC facilitates connections, offers educational and emotional support, and equips caregivers with essential advocacy tools. My vision has always been for Foster Village to be a safe haven for kids to come back to over and over again, one that’s comfortable and dignifying for their families.
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All caregivers are welcome to attend and we are able to provide credit hours toward re-licensing. FVC also hosts informal gatherings, Parents Night Out and social/play groups. Within 48 hours, FVC provides a week’s worth of all new essential and comfort items to ensure children have what they need. When caregivers say yes to keeping siblings together, FVC provides larger necessities to ensure each child has a comfortable first night sleep.
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The results speak volumes, with FVC successfully launching their board recruitment plan, welcoming two new board members, and initiating a board chair succession plan as their founding chair prepares for a transition in the near future. Meanwhile, I was feeling enriched by my relationship with my foster child’s biological father. He visited with her and brought a new doll every week.
All kids experience some trauma when they enter the foster care system. And people don’t always realize that even though we “sign up for this” as foster parents, it’s hard. As Foster Village Charlotte continues to evolve, our commitment to these children and families remains unwavering. We are dedicated to expanding our services, refining our programs, and continuing our advocacy to ensure every child and caregiver in the foster care system receives the support and dignity they deserve.
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One hour after that call, we got another call about a child who needed a home. Your support gives vulnerable children and families the village of support they need to thrive. Foster Village bridges this gap between foster families and caregivers and those who want to help, meeting practical needs and providing holistic support beyond the system. As children and caregivers navigate a messy child welfare system, our volunteers help bridge gaps and remind families that they are not alone through the ups and downs of foster care.
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Foster Village is a “village of villages,” with locations all around the country. Our goal is to be in every community where there is a need. Find the location nearest you to discover how you can get involved. The Village Partner Community creates pathways of consistency, allowing Foster Village Charlotte to plan forward with vision and confidence for sustainability and scalability. We invite you to become part of this transformative journey.
Five years ago, shortly after she welcomed her first foster child, Santoro began to regularly meet three other foster parents at a playground. They told her they lacked resources and felt overwhelmed. Santoro envisioned an organization to support foster caregivers, and by the time she welcomed her second foster child, Santoro and the three other parents—Molly Zalewski, Sloan Crawford, and Traci Prillaman—had co-founded Foster Village.
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We taught together at Merry Oaks Elementary for a couple of years. It wasn’t easy—we worked 80-hour weeks—but we loved those kids and families so much. Visit fostervillagecharlotte.org or facebook.com/fostervillagecharlotte for more information and ways to get involved. If you are already a full-access volunteer (background check, training, childcare webinar training completed) the portal is a great way to have all up-to-date information in one place! Sign up with your email address to receive news and updates. Who works and leads organizations that serve our diverse communities?
To achieve program goals, we will need a continued strong partnership with Mecklenburg County DSS which may also include a court program that will help us pilot phase 2 of the program. In addition, we also need strong leadership with lived experience as a birth family to ensure we are being intentional and thoughtful in our program design. This program expansion would also include the need for a new staff member and additional oversight and navigating to community resources that extend beyond the mission of FVC to help families sustain permanency. Reunifying families is a vulnerable population but there are risks involved including safety for our team and the children we serve.
Kinship families, often much less prepared because of the situation, are given any resources needed. Our delivery zone is 20 miles from our resource center but all items can be picked up at the center if out of range, allowing us to serve additional families. Forms are located on our website and filled out by social workers or caregivers.
We found that grassroots fundraising was really aligned with who we are and what we are about – this picture of everyone coming together for the good of all,” said Santoro. In June 2018, we launched Foster Village and opened Tony’s new coffee shop. We also found out our new daughter’s brother, then 16 months old, had not been adopted after all. We took him into our family, and he fit right away. I went to Michigan State to be a special education teacher. We graduated and moved to Charlotte in 2007 to teach in Title I schools.
Project SOOTHe provides non-invasive tools, play-based strategies, and individualized consultations to families free of charge to help caregivers engage and bond with the children in their homes. Forms can be filled out on our website by caregivers and our licensed pediatric Occupational Therapist and current foster parent calls to schedule a consultation. After a consultation, a follow-up email is provided that recaps the visit and suggests play-based strategies for the sensory tools that will be delivered. One of the things that brought us together was our mutual desire to support children in foster care.
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