A Different Future For Foster Children

In today's world, I find it harder and harder to find individuals who really stand out as Legendary Leaders.

But they do exist.

My friend, Richard Villasana, is one of those individuals.

He recently wrote a book called "Do No Harm: The U.S. Border Child Tragedy Continues", and I highly recommend reading it.

He is also the founder of the Nonprofit Forever Homes For Foster Kids.

The work he does is simply incredible.

Let me give you the painting of the problem that Richard provides in his book, as well as what he has discovered as the solution.

The Problem

In the U.S. Foster Care System, there are more than 423,900 children according to Richard, and here are some of the terrifying statistics about the system he provides:

Approximately 20,000 kids will disappear from their foster homes this year, never to be found

This year 24,000 kids will age out and be forced into the streets

In as little as 6 hours, those who age out are at risk of becoming victims of Sex Trafficking

That is but a small taste of the reality of the Foster Care System, right here in the "Home of the Free".

Maybe not "Free" for many of these kids.

Now, I am not saying that Foster Parents and caseworkers are bad (though there are bad apples in the bunch), and not all Children end up with this fate, but unfortunately, there is a strikingly high statistic of problems these children face in the system.

The problems also go deeper - often Children in the Foster Care System end up with mental, emotional, and physical trauma that can stay with them for decades.

Richard points out, very clearly, the plethora of problems that exist for a high percentage of children in the Foster Care System.

Tragic is the only word I can come up with.

When most people look at a problem, they look at the current solutions and simply throw more money into them.

This solution almost never works though.

More and more money is being spent by the government every year to make things "better" for Foster Children, but it hasn't worked.

Why?

Throwing more money at solutions that aren't actually solving problems simply isn't a real solution.

It just ends up being a waste of money.

So, Legendary Leaders need to approach the problem a different way - Why isn't it working, and what new ways could we attempt to fix problems?

The New Approach

Well, Richard over his career has discovered that he has an extreme talent for finding people.

I'm not talking about going onto a computer to look up someone's Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or otherwise - even "I" could do that (and I'm a person of very few talents).

No, Richard is the guy you call when all you have is a name and an inkling of where that person "might" have last lived.

It doesn't seem like there is anything that can stop him.

Do they live in a different country?

No Sweat.

What about if they live in a remote village with no telephone or internet services?

Doesn't seem to be a problem.

What if you gave him the wrong name and location?

Yeah, he can still find that person as well.

Now, what does that have to do with Foster Children?

During Richard's career, he began to discover a few key things when it comes to the Foster System.

First, is that the System (not necessarily the people) is broken.

He also figured out that one of the things Foster programs are supposed to do is look for the nearest relatives to children when they first enter the system.

This is called Family Finding.

But does this work?

Often, case workers are overloaded, and details can be hard to obtain.

This is especially true of children from Hispanic cultures, which can bring more challenges - different languages (Spanish, yes, but also other lesser-known languages throughout Middle and South America), different cultural norms, as well as different laws, legal systems, fears the children have of authorities, and hierarchies that exist in different parts of the world.

However, when Family Finding is done well, it can have huge benefits, both for Children and for the Government overall.

Children who are able to find their families tend to have significantly fewer instances of abuse, disease, mental health challenges, and death.

It also allows them to feel like they belong somewhere and gives them ties to who they are and where they come from, which has all sorts of benefits from a Psychophysiological standpoint.

Family.

It is almost always a winning situation for Children when this occurs.

With this as well, if only 37 children per month were reunited with members of their Families, it would save the system $200,000 each month.

That's Millions saved per year.

That money could then be reinvested to make situations better for other children whose current living situations are abysmal.

Richard decided to take his talents to see if he could apply them to the Foster Care System.

His results?

Over 10,000 Foster Children united with their families.

Sometimes he had to get ahold of people in different countries, speaking languages few people know, without phones or the internet to get a hold of them.

Sometimes he had to go through different governmental systems and find other individuals who could assist him along the way.

None of that stops him or his team though because he understands the power of helping these children.

Often he is able to go from there and then find other family that lives closer than imagined that the children didn't even know existed.

This also means that he has saved the government over $54 Million.

You read that right.

$54 Million Saved!

Does he charge the Foster Homes he works with for these amazing services?

No - 100% of the efforts are funded by other businesses and individuals, like you and me, who want these children to have a better Future.

Talk about a Legendary Impact that Richard is making.

What's Further Needed

Richards's insights working with these organizations have also given him a tremendous understanding of all the things that are preventing the Foster Care System from having success in this area.

Part of it has to do with training - many good-hearted caseworkers in the Foster Care System simply don't have even the most basic training on how to accomplish Family Finding.

Another aspect is that the government doesn't enforce policies around Family Finding.

This means that there are bad players in the Foster Care System that de-emphasize the practice, despite the great benefits and regulations that currently exist.

This can also go further - many in the government don't understand how much is wrong with the current policies, how the system isn't working, and how it can be changed.

If these officials understood, they could push the changes that are needed in the system for these children.

Richard, in his book, lays out a spectacular plan for how more children could be helped, and how they could have better Futures.

So, this is what I encourage you to do today.

First, pick up his book - "Do No Harm: The U.S. Border Child Tragedy Continues."

No, I have not been paid to say that.

I read the book, and it is brilliant.

I only recommend things that I truly believe in, and Richard is someone who I completely believe in.

IF you have the means to send donations to Richard's Organization (or other amazing organizations doing similar services that exist), then don't hesitate.

If not, there are still other ways to help!

Richard on his website provides ways you can volunteer with his organization.

There are also many ways to be active in helping raise funds.

Even simply purchasing normal everyday items you need through Amazon Smile can be extremely beneficial.

You could also be an advocate by speaking with your Government representatives to highlight to them the problems that exist and push for the change that is needed.

Another avenue is to speak with the Judges in your areas.

Often Judges have the power to push caseworkers to do more Family Finding efforts if they feel that there hasn't been due diligence in situations.

Of course, if you want to go above and beyond, there are always other foster children looking for a forever family to guide them through the challenges of life and to give them a place they feel they belong.

Richard lays out all of this in his book and more.

I hope that you will stand with Richard to help improve the lives of the Children.

Help these Children feel a restored Faith in people, help them get to their Families, so they can keep their Freedom, and have a better Future.