BY KAREN EVANS

Every child deserves to feel loved, safe, and valued—but for hundreds of children in Iredell County foster care that basic sense of security can feel far away. Each year, children enter the foster care system through no fault of their own, often carrying the weight of loss, uncertainty, and fear; yet within that uncertainty lies the possibility of hope. This holiday season you have the power to make that hope real. Your donation to the Lonely Children’s Fund can bring comfort to children who are waiting for stability, healing, and a chance to simply be kids again. Whether it’s a warm coat, holiday gifts, school supplies, a birthday cake, haircuts or specialized therapy services, every contribution makes a difference. A small donation can restore a sense of belonging and remind these children that they are seen and cared for.

What’s truly beautiful about donating to the Lonely Children’s Fund is how a single act of kindness can help so many children. A contribution can help provide band equipment for a foster child learning to play the drums as they navigate adjusting in a new school. It can help pay the registration fees and uniform fees for a child learning to play volleyball for the first time, developing a sense of belonging that comes from being on a school team. The donations can also help with tutoring services for a child that due to moving and changing schools has fallen behind academically. So many children can benefit by having a sense of normalcy in their life as they move through the foster care system.

In a world often distracted by materialism, these donations bring us back to the essence of the holiday season — faith, hope, and love.

HOW TO GIVE

Please send checks and money orders payable to:

Lonely Children’s Fund
Attention: Iredell County DSS 
549 Eastside Drive 
Statesville, NC 28625

Karen Evans is a Foster Care Social Worker for the Iredell County Department of Social Services.