Nonprofit Foster Village hosted an open house and ribbon cutting ceremony late last month, sponsored by the Dripping Springs Chamber of Commerce. Attendees included FV founders and board members, Chamber members and current and former foster youth and caregivers.
The event, held on May 27, celebrated Foster Village’s new building: a Support HUB (Heal, Unite and Belong). The HUB provides a space for foster children and families to have quick, easy and free access to ongoing support services and enrichment opportunities that are typically expensive and/or difficult to find. In this way, the new building will allow Foster Village to better carry out its mission in Dripping Springs, meeting practical needs and providing holistic support beyond the foster care system.
The HUB also serves as an extension of Foster Village’s home-like resource center, where children receive essential items when entering foster care or returning to their biological families. It is a space for traumainformed parent coaching, family visitations and connection opportunities for caregivers to access the support needed for children who have experienced abuse and neglect.
Foster Village was founded in Austin in 2016 by experienced foster parents, child development experts, child welfare advocates and a board of community professionals.
“Because we are foster parents ourselves, we have a deep understanding of how the system works, why children end up in the child welfare system and the challenges foster families face,” their website stated. “Though we offer practical support and resources, we also address the root causes at work in the child welfare system and work towards a future where no family or child lacks the support they need to thrive.”
“There are over 400,000 children in the foster care system in the United States today,” it continued. “Because of the instability often associated with foster care, being in foster care is a pipeline to some of our most critical social issues… but it doesn’t have to be this way. Foster youth are bright, capable, resilient kids, and when they are given nurturing environments to grow up in, the tools they need to succeed and a community of support, they are empowered to overcome adversity and become who they are created to be.”
To help fundraise for their cause, Foster Village has partnered with multiple local businesses in the Dripping Springs area. This month, these include Chick-fil-A (Belterra Village), Mazama Coffee Company, Fitzhugh Brewing and Summer Moon Coffee (Dripping Springs/Cedar Valley). At each participating business, all purchases from specific products and treats will benefit Foster Village Austin.
For more information about Foster Village and their mission, visit fostervillage.org.
