The Village of Merrick Park hosts its Annual Tree Lighting to kick off the holiday season on Thursday, November 18th from 6:30pm-8:30pm.  The tree lighting will take place at 7:45pm.  Residents and visitors are invited to view the 50-foot tree and enjoy the musical performances as well as bring a new, unwrapped gift for Miami-Dade’s foster children to benefit Voices For Children Foundation. Click here for more information.

The Voices For Children Annual Toy Drive benefits thousands of children in Miami-Dade’s Foster Care system each year.  Since 1989, this community-wide effort has ensured that every child in the dependency system receives a gift during the holiday season.  Occurring annually in November and December, the Annual Toy Drive helps children under 18 by providing them with age appropriate board games and other fun toys.

The Annual Toy Drive initiative also provides items for the many youth that are a part of the Transitioning Youth Project, or TYP.  The TYP works to ensure youth leaving the foster care system have the adult relationships, education, housing, job, and life skills they need to be successful on their own and become productive, healthy adults.  During the holiday season, these youth are given items that will help them lead healthy, independent adult lives, such as linens, the ability to purchase work appropriate clothing, or bicycles as a means of reliable transportation.

2010 Annual Toy Drive: The 2010 Annual Toy Drive will start in mid-November and run through December. Stay tuned for the announcement of additional official drop locations.  To aid in the Toy Drive and to learn more information, please call (305) 324-5678 or email DMarin@voices4.org.

There are 114,550 U.S. children are in foster care, waiting to be adopted. They have been removed from their homes as victims of child abuse, neglect or abandonment and are left without a family.  Last year, 29,471 children turned 18 and left the Foster Care System without an adoptive family.  November is National Adoption Month and you can make a difference.

The “30 Days of Amazing Children: Explore Adoption!” initiative presenting children in foster care who dream of being adopted by forever families was unveiled yesterday, Noevember 1, by Florida Department of Children and Families Secretary George Sheldon and Florida’s Chief Child Advocate Jim Kallinger.

A different “Amazing Child” available for adoption in Florida is being featured every day during National Adoption Month in November on www.adoptflorida.org. Many of the featured teens, sibling groups and children with medical needs are depicted on videos as they talk about themselves and their hopes to become part of a loving family. About 850 children are available for adoption on any given day in Florida, and more than half of them are teenagers.

“Floridians are encouraged to visit www.adoptflorida.org during November and become acquainted with children available for adoption and their dreams of belonging to a family,” Secretary Sheldon said. “These are Florida’s children. Their futures depend on actions that all of us can take to raise adoption awareness and recruit loving adoptive families.”

“When children in foster care are adopted by a permanent family, they feel loved, secure and positive about their future,” Chief Child Advocate Kallinger said. “The many adoptive parents I have met are equally overjoyed to add these wonderful children to their families. We just need to keep spreading the adoption message.”

Children in foster care who do not achieve permanency with a family before transitioning out of care at age 18 are at higher risk of being arrested, becoming teenage moms, dropping out of school and becoming homeless. Over the past three and a half years, Florida has safely reduced the number of children in foster care by nearly 11,000, or 36 percent, through adoptions, permanent guardianships and reunification with parents.

Nearly 50 adoption celebrations and finalization ceremonies are being held throughout Florida this November. Go to http://www.adoptflorida.org/adoptionmonth4.shtml to find out about events in the Miami area.

While private forms of adoption can cost upwards of $30,000, adopting one of Florida’s children in foster care costs little or nothing. The benefits include a monthly adoption subsidy for the family, health benefits for the child, and free college tuition at a Florida public university, community college or vocational school. The federal adoption tax credit recently was raised to $13,170 per child and is refundable, meaning eligible taxpayers can receive it regardless of whether or not they owe taxes for that year.

For more information, please visit www.adoptflorida.org and be sure to follow Voices For Children Foundation on Facebook.

UPDATE: CONTEST CLOSED.

Help Voices For Children Foundation end child abuse by suggesting our Facebook Fan page to your friends! www.facebook.com/VoicesForChildrenFoundation

Details:
-Each ticket is valued at $71.00, prize has no cash value.
-Individuals must suggest Voices’ Facebook page to friends and write on Voices For Children’s Facebook wall to be entered to win.
-Winner will be randomly selected from a drawing to be held on Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 9:00am.
-Winner will be notified via Facebook page.
-Winner must pick up tickets at Voices’ office (1500 NW 12th Avenue, Suite 1117, Miami, FL, 33136) by noon on Friday, August 27th.
-Game is scheduled for Friday, August 27th, 2010 at 7:00pm, Miami Dolphins Vs. Altanta Falcons.

www.facebook.com/VoicesForChildrenFoundation

For more details please contact Voices For Children at (305) 324-5678.