Fostering Wishes Foundation is an all volunteer 501c3 that grants birthday and holiday "wishes" to kids in foster care. Wishes range from bikes, helmets and accessories to educational games to athletic equipment to musical instruments, art supplies, books or board games.

​

Biking around the neighborhood, basketball with friends, backyard soccer or joining school sports teams promote healthy habits leading to better physical and mental health.  Sports help kids make friends, stay in shape, improve self-esteem and learn discipline. Childhood exercise is known to improve focus and concentration leading to better sleep, improved academics and test scores, build healthy muscle and bone strength and lowers the risk of obesity and type 2 diabetes (source/Mayo Clinic).

 

Books, games and art supplies help children cope with the trauma of neglect and abuse through self-care.

 

According to the Delaware Office of the Child Advocate, children experiencing foster care are rarely able to participate in sports and activities with their peers. One significant reason is that foster parents aren't required to purchase gifts for the kids in their care. Each child is afforded $150 annually by the State for "extras", but "extras" for one kid might be girl scout fees or school book day while another might be new socks, underwear and sneakers if the foster family can't afford them.

​

Because of this, we wanted to give the kids things they most often include on their birthday and holiday wish lists, but no one bought. Requests for bikes/helmets, electronic games and even an electric guitar started coming in and we fulfilled every wish!

Through nearly a decade of association with coordinators at Delaware Office of the Child Advocate to determine ways to best help children and youth experiencing foster care, Fostering Wishes Foundation was created in 2019 and called upon to help in November 2021 when asked to buy "a couple bikes, assembled,...oh, and helmets!  Let me know if you can get 3" I said "Three!?, I can get 5!"(only because i know how generous and competitive my friends are).  Five turned in to 11 with locks, lights and helmets, an electric guitar and an electronic educational game, tool bags and accessories.

Within four weeks we fulfilled every "wish" submitted,  thanks to many generous donations!
 
Providing athletic equipment and enrichment items to kids in foster care affords them the same access to healthy and structured activities as their peers or gives them an outlet for quiet reflection or mental escape.

​

The concept is simple: kids submit their wish list to the State, we foster these wishes!

Your support allows Fostering Wishes Foundation to increase awareness to foster families, children and donors statewide through print and digital campaigns establishing the benefits of exercise and healthy habits in young people and allow us to provide everything from bikes, helmets and accessories to soccer nets, running shoes, mitts, sticks and balls.