Nurture a child, change the future

From the day we are born, the playing field isn’t level.

Not every child is conceived in love. Not every child has even one parent who loves him or her. Not every child has a home. Not every child is safe. Not every child has enough to eat.

On any given day, more than 550,000 children nationwide, and 2,000 in Alaska, are part of the foster care system.

In Alaska, 40 percent of our foster youth end up homeless, more than 30 percent end up incarcerated and less than 10 percent make it through college.

We wish love and safety was a birthright every child received. Sadly, we know that isn’t reality.

November is National Adoption Month, a time to raise awareness about the adoption of children and youth from foster care. To that end, the local Office of Children’s Services and Alaska Center for Resource Families organized a celebration of adoption Saturday at North Bowl.

Kudos to the local families that provide safe, nurturing homes for children in the foster care system. We reserve our highest praise for families that adopt children and give them the forever gift of a loving, safe and nurturing home.

But even if you can’t open your home to foster children or can’t adopt a child, there are still ways you can help.

• Mentors are needed statewide for a new Foster Youth Mentorship Program operated by Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Covenant House and Facing Foster Care in Alaska that pairs adult mentors with youth in foster care. The idea is to provide some one-on-one friendship and guidance to ease the transition of Alaska’s foster children ages 16 to 21 from foster care to independent living. To help, contact Big Brothers/Big Sisters at (907) 433-4600 or (907) 452-8110.

• Do you have a spare Internet-connectable laptop with word processing software you could donate? There is an effort under way to collect laptops and give them to foster children as tools to store family pictures, stay in touch with loved ones and stay on top of their schoolwork. To help, call (907) 269-0106.

• Businesses are also needed to participate in an effort called FosterWear that asks them to agree to give a 25 percent discount to foster youths, and 10 percent on sale items. To help, contact Amanda Metivier at (907) 230-8237.

• For those with the biggest hearts, Alaska is in dire need of foster parents. To become a foster parent, call (800) 478-7307.