Initiative makes sure foster kids and teens not overlooked

Family Support Services of North Florida currently gathering gifts for more than 2,100 kids and teens in foster care as part of the Be An Angel program.

Through this initiative, the nonprofit will fulfill hundreds of wish lists so that the foster children they oversee can receive at least one gift of their choosing this holiday season.

The program is dedicated to the memory of Roberta Zipperer, a 30-year child well-being advocate, who created the yearly campaign specifically for youth in foster care who are less likely to receive gifts through standard community donations, which are often focused on much younger children.

Local kids in foster care tend to be older, making them less likely to have a “traditional” holiday season. Be An Angel aims to offer a solution to that problem.  

The public can sponsor a gift for one of these youth (ages 10-23) in foster care by going online and selecting a wish list of the youth they’d like to sponsor.

Donors will then receive the name and age of a child in foster care along with their wish list. Corporate sponsors and monetary gifts are also appreciated and will be used to purchase gifts.

For more information, go to BeAnAngelJax.com.