Recently Hurricane Harvey swept through the greater Houston area, destroying 50,000 homes and leaving many children who are in state care with uncertain futures. Approximately 1,200 foster children from 24 facilities were evacuated, with many children going to other facilities in the state. These children are already traumatized, whether in their original homes or by being ripped from their homes by the state, so it is a real tragedy that they are now facing these obstacles. We, Kathleen and Robert Raskin, are concerned about what these children are now facing, and today we’d like to tell you about some ways you can donate to relief efforts that benefit children in the system who have been displaced once again.

How to Donate

However we may feel about DFPS, these children still need help. Organizations such as Roy Maas’ Youth Alternatives, St. Jude’s Ranch for Children, the Rainbow Room, Boysville, and the Children’s Shelter are all accepting donations, and there is also a website set up collecting donations for Friends of the Bexar County Child Welfare Board. Their fundraising efforts are specifically focused on providing children who are in state custody, foster families, and kinship families. The State of Texas has a history of non-profit organizations coming together with state organizations in times of crisis, and this is certainly a crisis, because there is no end in sight and no telling how many services these already vulnerable children and families will require. This is Kathleen and Robert Raskin, hoping you will keep these children in your thoughts.