The nationally-acclaimed Forgotten Children Campaign, endorsed by Dr. Phil and Cold Case’s Danny Pino, will come to life in Miami on September 12th, 2009 at 11:00 a.m. Supporters are invited to a public march alongside Biscayne Boulevard towards Bayfront Park (301 Biscayne Boulevard), carrying 850 life-sized cut-outs bearing actual messages from the children who quietly enter the foster care system daily in the United States. The cut-outs will remain on display until Monday in an effort to raise awareness and support for the 850 children who are placed in foster care each day. An impactful video of a previous march from another city can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-FhJ8DUz5Q&feature=player_embedded.

“We are honored to host such a momentous event and to speak up for the abused, abandoned, and neglected children who go unheard every day in an overburdened foster care system,” said Nelson F. Hincapie, President & CEO, Voices For Children Foundation. “Let’s stand up for our foster children, so they can stand a chance for the future,” he added.

Residents, businesses and community organizations can become sponsors of one of these “forgotten children” represented in the life-sized cut-outs for $250. Following the march, guests are invited to stay and enjoy a Children’s Celebration at Bayside Marketplace. This family fun-filled event is comprised of various performances including Hip Hop Kidz, entertainment by Radio Disney AM 990, and a display auction of diverse art by the children in foster care. One hundred percent of the proceeds of the art are going to the child artists.

This fundraising campaign is being held by Voices For Children Foundation, the fundraising arm of the 11th Judicial Circuit Guardian Ad Litem (GAL) Program. The funds provided by Voices allow the GAL Program to recruit and train the volunteers who serve as the “voice” for the foster care children. When a GAL volunteer is involved, a child is less likely to move from home to home and they are 95-percent less likely to re-enter the foster care system.

This event will not be possible without the help and support from our sponsors:

Platinum Sponsors: Bilzin Sumberg;Baena Price & Axelrod LLP; The Children’s Trust; Bayside Marketplace

Gold Sponsors: Flagler Development Group; Leon Medical Centers;  Miccosukee Resort & Gaming;  Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.; Mayor Carlos Alvarez’s V initiative

Media Sponsors: Univision 23 / Telefutura 69; CBS4; Fuel Outdoor; The Miami Herald and El Nuevo Herald; Diario Las Americas; WLRN; Official Diamond Voice: Comcast; Official Silver Voice: Parrot Fish Studio

Voices For Children Foundation is a not for profit organization that raises funds to ensure that every abused, abandoned, and neglected child in Miami-Dade County has a court appointed Guardian Ad Litem and that financial assistance and other resources are available for their accompanying health, educational, and social needs. Guardians Ad Litem are trained, court-appointed adults who serve as the representative voice for abused, abandoned, and neglected children involved in dependency court proceedings. For more information and to sponsor a “child” visit www.voices4.org or call 305-324-5678.