But beyond those basics, a myriad of other needs exist. Many of these either go unmet, or are addressed by active, involved community members who understand that when families falter or fail, neighbors have a role to play.

In Cabarrus County, N.C., foster parents have been organized and upfront about making these needs known—and the community has responded. With a population of approximately 160,000, Cabarrus County is a friendly, fast growing county. Concord and Harrisburg are well known for the Lowe's Motor Speedway and are the homes to many NASCAR team shops located there. There are about 300 children in foster care in the county, and 92 licensed foster families.

Foster parents in the county keep informed through monthly training meetings, newsletters and annual appreciation events including a summer picnic and holiday dinner. And they use their network to get the word out about the needs of the children in their care. The following are a few examples of how individuals and organizations that have shown their support to foster children recently.

A 'Safe House' evening at Broadus Family Worship Center.

Safe House Helps Siblings Stay Close

Separation from siblings is often one of the hardest challenges children in care face. A one-hour family visit at the Social Services Department does not provide ample time for siblings to stay connected, if they've been placed in separate foster homes. "Safe House," a program sponsored by Broadus Family Worship Center in Concord, N.C., endeavors to improve this situation.

Scott Parsons, a foster parent from Harrisburg, N.C., remembers a traumatic time when at age 13, his parents divorced and he and his four siblings were separated. "Two went with Mom, two went with Dad, and they decided they didn't want me, so I went to my grandmother's," said Parsons. Because of school and working commitments, Parsons rarely saw his siblings. His grandmother was always there for him and so when he married, he and his wife, Julie made a decision to foster and adopt children. "I wanted to help other children the way my grandmother helped me," said Parsons.

One of the first foster children the Parsons cared for was a teenage girl who had siblings in another home. Parsons approached the pastor of Broadus with the idea of providing somewhere for foster kids to get together with their siblings and not feel out of place, have fun, and visit with others in their position. Parsons donated funds from his landscaping company to purchase sports equipment to be used by the children.

The "Safe House" program is now a ministry held once a month from 6 to 8 p.m. in the multi-purpose gym at the church. Foster parents can come with their children or drop them off and take a break. Volunteers from the church care for the children and feed them a home-style dinner—the food is donated and cooked by the volunteers.

"Our kids are grown and gone and we enjoy kids so much, so we jumped in and helped," said volunteer Rick Campbell, who enjoys cooking for the kids. His wife Dana and other volunteers serve and clean up. The same group of volunteers has remained faithful over the two years Safe House has been in existence. For variety, the group plans different themes including BBQ night, Italian night, pizza or chicken night and grill night.

Approximately 14 men and women make up the core of volunteers. Each helps with donating the food and the church supplies the space.

Some men volunteers come out and play basketball or air hockey, offering some male support, exercise, and a release of energy for the kids. For the volunteers, it's a chance to connect with kids in a fun way while making a meaningful difference in their lives. "I started late trying to have children and may be interested in fostering in the future," says volunteer Kevin Furr who loves children and hopes to have a family someday.

Homework help is also on offer. A computer has been installed on site and volunteer tutors come during the Safe House meetings to be available to help. "Many kids are so behind in school or told that they can't learn," says Parsons.

The program is still growing—and the Parsons have adopted two teenagers and are still fostering.

Welliver McGuire employees work on Cody's treehouse/playset.

Constructing a Dream

The Welliver McGuire construction company takes giving to the community seriously. Each year, at the company's southern office located in Harrisburg, North Carolina, employees choose what community projects to support. When an employee recently became a licensed foster parent, the needs of foster children came to the forefront. (The company's main headquarters is in New York state.)

The first project the company supported was providing Christmas presents for all of the foster children placed in Harrisburg in the year 2005.With the help of Cabarrus County DSS, Welliver's executive administrator Karen McLaughlin obtained names, ages and wish lists for the approximately 30 children in foster care in the town. Each employee chose a child to purchase gifts for. Once the gifts were wrapped and ready, Welliver McGuire used a flatbed truck to deliver the gifts to the foster homes. An employee dressed as Santa greeted each child at their door. Unfortunately, Welliver has since relocated counties so they won't have the ability to help in Cabarrus county again—they encourage other companies to pick up where they left off

According to the Cabarrus County DSS, it is businesses like these that make Christmas possible for children in care. "We rely on donations from churches and businesses to purchase gifts for kids," says Kim Blackwell, supervisor with the department. With funding tight and the number of children in care increasing, this kind of help is very necessary and appreciated, she said.

It was through this project that Welliver McGuire filled another need. While writing his wish list, 7-year-old Cody wrote that his biggest dream was to have a tree house to play in. Cody and his two sisters had just been placed in the home of Jeanette Nowell, a single foster mother. "My heart was so heavy, I wanted so badly to give him a tree house, I just didn't have the financial means or the physical help to do it," said Nowell.

Welliver McGuire called and asked if they could surprise him by building him a play set. "With tears in my eyes, and in disbelief, I realized Cody's dream would come true and that changed my life," said Nowell. The tree house was designed and partially assembled in the shop with materials donated by the company. Early one morning, Cody awoke to the sound of hammers, saws, and screw guns. Running outside, Cody worked alongside a crew of about 15 guys as they assembled his dream tree house. Friends and neighbors gathered to watch and Hardee's restaurant donated and delivered hamburgers and sweet tea to all the workers.

"It was more than just a tree house, it was nicer than we could have imagined," said Nowell, who has since adopted Cody and his siblings.

Carolynn VanDyke of Midland, NC organizes clothing by size in her walk-up attic "clothing closet"

A Real Walk-In Closet

Often children arrive at a new foster home with very little in the ways of personal belongings—perhaps just a few plastic bags of clothes and sundries. In many places, foster parents receive a voucher for clothing when a child is placed in their home—in Cabarrus County, until 2004, that voucher was for $100. But budget cuts led county child welfare authorities to eliminate the voucher entirely.

In response, a group of foster parents came up with the idea of a "clothing closet", a place where clothing and supplies would be stored to have readily available when a child came into care. "I just know with my foster children, how fast they grow out of clothing and how most of it stays in very good shape. I wanted to organize this so that foster children could dress as well as any other child," said Carolynn Vandyke, a foster mother in Midland, N.C. who set up a clothing closet in her walk-up attic. Another foster parent took the responsibility of contacting businesses, churches and commercial realtors to find a place to set up a second closet on the opposite side of the county. One local business graciously donated space in the walk-out basement of their business.

Other foster moms went out on Saturday mornings to yard sales to distribute flyers to sellers urging them to donate clothing, toys, books, baby furniture and accessories that didn't sell to the project. The flyer gave the location of a convenient drop-off location or a phone number to call for pick-up. Other foster parents contacted consignment stores and churches that held consignment sales on a regular basis.

Approximately 14 foster parents, men and women, are involved in the clothing closet, helping to collect, fold and store the items.

After two years, the clothing closets are fully stocked with clean, like-new clothing and supplies, standing ready for children when they are placed in a foster home. Jane Cauthen, program manager for the Cabarrus County Department of Social Services, says that the active partnership between foster parents and the community make the program a success, and helped ease the decision to eliminate the vouchers.

Teens Reach Out

As the adult leader of a group of home-schooled teens, Darlene Miller wanted to find a way for her organization to reach out to their community and make a difference.

"As the leader of the Cabarrus County Home School Association's teen group, I am always looking for ways that our teens can give back to the community. We feel that it is important that they develop a 'giving spirit', not just 'taking' all the time," says Miller. "Life is not always fun and games and teens need balance. We looked for ways to help in areas where the need was great."

One group member who has foster siblings told the group how children coming into care, or moving from one home to another, often lack some wardrobe basics. So for the 2005-2006 school year, Miller and the teens chose to help by donating new socks and underwear.

"Hearing about the needs of children in our area was a great life lesson and they gave wholeheartedly. I am sure we will continue to help in any way we that we can," said Miller.

Approximately 30 teenagers ranging in age from 13 to 18 years old made this project their own. Each teen decided how they would personally raise money to purchase the supplies. Two hundred pair of socks and nearly the same amount of underwear was collected at the first attempt. The teens have decided to make this a yearly project. "I think that the giving of the items was a good idea, such simple things can really help, and it's really pretty easy," says Barbara Harper, age 14, from Concord, North Carolina.

Once the socks and underwear were collected, they were given to the "Clothing Closet" also set up in Cabarrus County. When foster kids first enter the system, they are given new socks and underwear along with pre-owned clothing in good condition. "I'm glad the items went to good use. I think it was a great way to give back to other children and it was even more profitable doing it with a group so more could be given," says Harper.