05.01.2016

Giving Foster Kids Joy

By Octavio, Treehouse Student

Tuesday, May 3rd is GiveBIG, the Northwest’s biggest day of online charitable giving. During this one-day event, you have the power to make a huge impact on our community by showing your commitment to the causes your care about. Why should you GiveBIG to Treehouse? Octavio, an alumnus of foster care, recently wrote this speech for his 4th grade class and we think he summed it all up pretty nicely:

Hi. My name is Octavio and I’m 10 years old. Here speech I wrote for school:

You need to help foster kids. A lot of kids do not have a house, and if you don’t help a foster kid each day, a kid gets lost and sometimes they don’t get found. That is not good. Like my brother, he ran away and something could have happened to him. But now he is safe but I cannot see him. So you need to help foster kids.

Reason 1: Because foster kids need friends for support. If you can’t become a foster care family or adopt, just try to help foster kids. Then more kids will get your help and have a house to lay in.

Reason 2: Some foster kids have no house to stay in. Some kids do not have a bed so they have to sleep on the floor and it hurts. Many foster kids are left to themselves when they turn 18. More than 1/2 of these kids don’t graduate from high school. Many even become homeless. I learned this from reading the Treehouse website.

Reason 3: Helping foster kids will bring you joy. If you give joy to a foster kid, you will also get joy. Joy is more than happy. Joy is a deeper feeling. Joy is family. Kids love joy. Joy is all they want and kids will thank you for helping them.

Conclusion: People need to help foster kids! And if you don’t kids could get lost. So help them and help them now.

Call to Action: Today you can help foster kids. You can help foster kids get clothes, school supplies, go to summer camps, and help with college by donating today. I am a story of success because Treehouse helped me and most importantly, I was adopted by the one and only….Karla Petersen!

Karla-and-Octavio

On Tuesday, May 3rd, you have the opportunity to respond to Octavio’s call and make a gift to help youth in foster care have what they need to succeed. Make a gift to Treehouse through the Seattle Foundation and your gift will be stretched by community partners to grow your impact.

Can’t make a gift on Tuesday? Schedule your gift in advance to make sure your gift can be stretched.