Welcome to the first CharityRx Charity of the Month post for 2024. In this series, we highlight charities supported by CharityRx and our prescription discount card that generates donations with each prescription filled using the card. This month, we focus on Foster Hope, a charity dedicated to providing suitcases. Additionally, we have partnered with Project Linus, which provides love, a sense of security, warmth, and comfort to children who are seriously ill, in foster care, or otherwise in need through the gifts of new, handmade blankets, quilts, and afghans, lovingly created by “blanketeers.”
Every year, thousands of children enter the foster care system in the United States. These children have been removed from their homes often due to unsafe situations like neglect or abuse. According to the latest statistics, at the end of the 2021 fiscal year (September 2021), there were over 391,000 children in foster care in the United States alone. Throughout 2021, over 600,000 children passed through the foster care system.[1]
Placed into temporary living arrangements with other families or in group homes, these children often face many challenges and hardships, including losing personal belongings, being isolated from family, and lacking a stable living environment. These challenges can negatively impact their self-esteem, emotional well-being, and overall development. Up to 80 percent of children in foster care have significant mental health issues stemming from a history of complex trauma, frequently changing situations and transitions, broken family relationships, inconsistent and inadequate access to mental health services, and the over-prescription of psychotropic medications. [2]
These children often have to move from one home to another with little notice and cannot take very many personal belongings with them. Usually, the youth and their caseworker show up with a couple of black garbage bags full of everything the child owns in the world.[3] This can be a traumatic experience for any child, as they are already facing the stress of being taken from familiar surroundings and placed in a new home. Foster Hope works to provide personal luggage to children facing this difficult transition. Project Linus knows how helpful and comforting it can be for a child to receive their own special “blankie” made just for them.
CharityRx aims to provide comfort and dignity to children in foster care by donating suitcases and blankets. These items may seem small, but they can make a big difference in the lives of these children. Having their own suitcase to pack and take with them gives them a sense of ownership and stability during a chaotic time. You can get involved by signing a card for a child in foster care. Our goal is to receive 200 signed cards. We will include one notecard with each suitcase and blanket we donate.
“Sadly, and perhaps most tragic, no matter how much we try to impress upon the youth that they have value, as does their belongings, they don’t believe it enough. The youths themselves readily load up their belongings in a garbage bag as they feel a garbage bag is indeed where their property belongs.”
Jeff Edwards
With each prescription filled using the CharityRx prescription discount card, a portion of the proceeds is donated to Foster Hope and Project Linus. By simply using this prescription discount card, you are directly contributing to improving the lives of children in foster care. It’s a small action that can have a significant impact.
At CharityRx, we believe that together, we can positively impact the lives of those around us. Let’s come together and make a difference in the lives of children in foster care, one prescription at a time. Next time you visit the pharmacy, use your CharityRx prescription discount card and remember that you’re not just saving money on your prescription but also contributing to a worthy cause and improving the lives of these children. By using our discount card and supporting Foster Hope, you are joining a community of individuals dedicated to making a difference in the world. Thank you for joining us in supporting Foster Hope and their mission to provide comfort and stability to children in foster care. Let’s Foster Hope together!
#CharityRx #FosterHope #CharityoftheMonth #ThePurposeIsThePrize
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