Children’s Needs

Our Children’s Needs Fund provides items and experiences for children in the dependency court system, because every child deserves the chance to feel like a kid. We make sure they have a present on their birthday, a comfortable bed to sleep in, school supplies, the ability to take a karate class or a chance spend a summer at camp.  Our goal at Voices for Children is to make the life of a child in foster care better.  Voices for Children has the ability to provide them with some solace and encouragement.

 
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EDUCATION

laptops, tutoring fees, school supplies, graduation items, field trips

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CLOTHING

school uniforms, tennis shoes, football cleats, winter jackets

EXPERIENCES

softball/baseball, cheerleading, gymnastics/karate classes, summer camp, theme park tickets

PERSONAL/GENERAL

eyeglasses, ethnic hair products, holiday/birthday gifts

FURNITURE/BEDDING

bunk beds, cribs, mattresses, pillows, sheets, highchairs

SWAT Team

VFC supports the Guardian ad Litem Hospital SWAT Team, which is comprised of 30 court-appointed Guardian ad Litem volunteers. This program was developed to ensure each hospitalized child, who has been sheltered due to abuse and/or neglect or was born substance-exposed is visited within 24 hours of being admitted.  The volunteers then provide support through daily visits, obtaining court orders for medical procedures, reporting clinical status back to the judge and providing essential necessary items (clothing, blankets, stuffed animals, sound machines, walkers, medical equipment etc.) until the child is discharged and a permanent Guardian ad Litem Volunteer is assigned. While these children are in hospital placement, they do not have foster parents or any family visiting or providing much needed items. This team has visited over 260 sheltered children since 2019, and is led by Master Guardian ad Litem and VFC Board Member Katie McCarey.  About 80% of the children seen are substance-exposed newborns placed in the NICU, the other 20% is comprised of egregious abuse cases (fractures, trauma, burns, etc) and medical neglect cases. 

 

Visit children daily.

bring clothing, blankets and necessities

play classical music

play board games

read books and watch movies

Courthouse Dog Program

We are extremely proud to have Florida’s FIRST Courthouse Facility Dog Program.  This program’s primary goal is to provide emotional support for traumatized children during stressful and difficult situations, so they can find their voice and share their story.  Our Courthouse Facility Dogs have assisted children in courtroom testimony, forensic interviews, depositions and medical exams.  Their presence is crucial to help calm our children when they are experiencing these very scary situations.  We want to continue to provide the safest and highest level of care to the vulnerable child victims of abuse, abandonment and neglect.  Every child who spends time with them feels the unconditional love they give when needed most! 

 

Follow our Courthouse Facility Dogs on social media:

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Legal Needs

Through our Legal Needs Program, we provide the GAL Attorneys funding to successfully advocate for a child in court. Children deserve a safe, loving and permanent home, and decisions regarding permanency should be based on what is in the best interest of the child. If the GAL Program determines additional legal action is needed, the Program must assume the litigation expenses and that is where our Legal Needs Fund comes in.  Through our Legal Needs Program, we provide unique support by assisting the GAL Attorneys with critical funding used to help our kids find a safe and permanent home faster. 

 

Psychological and Psychiatric Assessments

Conduct Assessments of Parental Suitability

Obtaining Hospital Records

Serve and Record Subpoenas

Audio Recordings from Court Proceedings

Depositions

Paying for Surveillance

Expert Testimony

Skip Traces

Holiday Toy Shop

Each year, with the help of our AMAZING community partners, we have been able to provide HUNDREDS of foster children with a gifts to open during the holidays.

  

Here are a few ways you can support our
Holiday Toy Drive and Toy Shop:

  • Virtual Toy/Gift Card Drive – Our Virtual Toy Drive was a HUGE success last year, so it’s back by popular demand! You can “shop” wherever and whenever you like and our kids can get some of the items on their list.  Click here to access our sharable link:  https://amzn.to/32NnfVK
    AND the best part?  It’s REALLY easy!  Folks will select items and they will be sent directly to our office.  It goes right through their Amazon account!  We’ve also added some gift cards, so our teens are sure to get into the spirit as well.
  • Monetary Donation –  If this is easier  – we can do the shopping for you!
    Your donation will be tax deductible and ALL FUNDING will be utilized to purchase toys and gift cards, so every child in our care will have a gift to open this holiday season.  It’s as simple as that!
    If your Company and/or employees are interested, make Checks payable to:
    Voices for Children and mail to our offices at:
    3314 Henderson Blvd, Suite 207, Tampa 33609
    OR you can make a donation online at: https://vfcgal.org/donate/
  • Traditional Toy Collection – It still works for you?  Excellent! This works for us too.  Just let us know!  We can provide you with a list of suggested items and you can go to town, just like always.  You can drop items off at the GAL or VFC Offices.

Every year, thanks to all of our Community Partners, we have been able to yield approximately $40,000 of in-kind donations for our children during the holidays. Help us make sure every foster child in Hillsborough County has gifts to open this holiday season!

  • Check out some of the actual requests that we have received from our Guardian ad Litem Volunteers:

    • Child is a 10-year-old sexual abuse victim who is spending his first Christmas in a group foster home, without his sister or any family. He has severe autism. He would love a gift of a new comforting Spiderman blanket.
    • Child is separated from each of her 3 other siblings and lives in a foster home in a different county from their locations. There is no family to provide her with gifts. She has been TPR’d (parental rights have been terminated) and will start the adoption process soon. She is worried that no one will remember her.
    • “K” lost her Grandmother just prior to Christmas last year. She was very close with her GM, who always encouraged her and taught her to be a young lady. A young girl in a house where she is the only girl can be difficult and feel lonely at times. A gift to keep her mind busy, boost her self-esteem and allow her to relax and do something she truly enjoys would surely put a beautiful smile on this young lady’s face. She absolutely loves making her own jewelry! 
    • My child loves to roller skate but does not own skates. She wears her caregiver’s skates, which are two sizes too big for her. I would love to gift her a pair of skates. Her favorite color is pink, and she is a size 8 in women. 

Thank you for believing in our mission and our kids!

Back to School Drive

Every child loves to start the school year with new supplies. It’s a fresh start! Each year our need remains the same.  Unfortunately, many students do not have even some of the most basic supplies and that’s why we need your help!   

Please consider supporting Voices for Children and The Guardian ad Litem Program of Hillsborough County by participating in our Annual Virtual School Supply Drive.

We’ve even made it EASIER THAN EVER by creating an online shopping list.  You can purchase school supplies for these deserving children with just a click of a button:

https://amzn.to/2Y2dkrZ

Help us empower these children and put them on a track to success.  Together, we can change a child’s story!