Sunlight转发了
Co-Founder/CEO of Sunlight, the makers of Your Case Plan | Serial Entrepreneur | Child Welfare Advocate | Guinness World Record Holder
?? Not gonna lie, it is crazy to see my last post reached nearly 40,000 people over the past two weeks. Since I've been asked a few dozen times if there is anything anyone can do to support our foster son, his family, or our work, I wanted to share a ways you can help. Today is #GivingTuesday (as your inbox has probably noticed) but I want to make this CRYSTAL CLEAR. 1?? Our foster son's family is not asking for money. There is no GoFundMe, Venmo, etc. Despite their story being picked up by several media outlets and receiving attention around the globe, they didn't want to be perceived as being "in it for the money" even though he is growing up fast and always needs new clothes! 2?? I am not asking for money. I didn't get into this for the money. I don't need the money.?My company, Sunlight, is not a charity and does not accept donations. So you might be wondering, “Why is Ryan even writing this post on Giving Tuesday?” 3?? You can read & share our story. Why? There is a huge stigma if you are involved in the child welfare system. Most people assume the worst.?Just look at how former foster youth, their parents, and their foster parents are portrayed in the media in our movies or television shows. You’ll hear that throwaway line in the script that tells you this person has a “troubled past” from foster care or that they must be an abusive parent -- despite the majority of children enter foster care without ever being abused. Sunlight is the best disinfectant but unfortunately you often won’t hear the real stories. Stories about dads stepping up to raise their kids. Stories about moms struggling to find housing after leaving an abusive partner. Stories about grandma signing up to raise her grandkids when her kids need time to get help. Stories about foster parents going above and beyond for the kids and their families. Stories about teenagers who aged out of the system and beat the odds. Those stories need to be told AND heard. You can do more than just click “share” on social media. Take time to read these stories. Understand what happened. Remember them. Talk about about it "in real life" when folks bring up foster care. 4?? You can chip in a few bucks to help orgs doing great work keeping kids safe and supporting families in crisis. I love raising money for good causes so hopefully we can shine 40,000+ spotlights on a few great organizations. If you know of an organization doing great work, tag them in the comments and if you know someone there give them a shout out too. Continued in the comments...