INDIANA – Most people think of Indiana’s foster care system in terms of kids, families, and social services. A new mobile app is demonstrating how businesses can get involved too, supporting kids and families in foster care by offering them discounts on useful products and services.
The “Foster Friendly” mobile app is an ad-free platform for businesses and foster families. More than 80 business locations are up and available on the app already, including offers such as 10% to 25% off food purchases and other family recreational activities.
Other offers on the app include retail shopping, car detailing services, fitness memberships, real estate, and tax preparation services. Local resources such as foster closets and church ministries supporting foster parents are also included, making “Foster Friendly” an all-in-one resource for foster parents to find the information they need, quickly.
“As a family formed through adoption, we know the challenges that foster and adoptive parents face every day. When we found out about the Foster Friendly app, we knew we wanted to participate. We are so thankful for the service this provides to families and hope that our offer helps in some small way,” said Brandy Smith and Jessica Martin, Co-Owners of New Generation Carpet Cleaning.
“Indiana DCS is pleased that our partnership with Indiana Kids Belong has now led to the launching of the Foster Friendly app. We continually seek out ways to ensure our resource families have the support they need. Innovation has led us to the Foster Friendly app that will connect our resource parents to a variety of businesses and services to help lighten their load as they serve children and families in crisis,” said Terry Stigdon, Director of Indiana Department of Child Services.
Nationwide, 50% of foster parents withdraw their license after their first year or first placement. Foster parents face scheduling and financial challenges many of us have never thought about .“ We need more foster families, and we need to let them know the community sees them and supports them”, says Larry May, State Director of Indiana Kids Belong. “We often say that not everyone can be a foster parent, but everyone can do something. This is a free and easy something for businesses to make a tangible, positive impact on our community.”
About Indiana Kids Belong
Indiana Kids Belong (IKB), a State Chapter of America’s Kids Belong, is a nonprofit devoted to dramatically improving the experience and outcomes for Indiana’s children and youth in foster care. IKB partners with Indiana’s Department of Child Services to create high-quality recruitment videos for kids in Indiana’s foster care system who are legally free for adoption. They also work with businesses and the faith community to raise awareness and serve kids and families in Indiana’s foster care system. For more information about Indiana Kids Belong, or for businesses who wish to sign up for the Foster Friendly app, visit: https://americaskidsbelong.org/in/https://americaskidsbelong.org/in/.
