An orphanage is a residential institution, total institution or group home, devoted to the care of orphans and children who, for various reasons, cannot be cared for by their biological families. The parents may be deceased, absent, or abusive. There may be substance abuse or mental illness in the biological home, or the parent may simply be unwilling to care for the child. The legal responsibility for the support of abandoned children differs from country to country, and within countries. Government-run orphanages have been phased out in most developed countries during the latter half of the 20th century but continue to operate in many other regions internationally. It is now generally accepted that orphanages are detrimental to the emotional wellbeing of children, and government support goes instead towards supporting the family unit.
Foster care is a system in which a minor has been placed into a ward, group home, or private home of a state-certified caregiver, referred to as a "foster parent", or with a family member approved by the state. The placement of a "foster child" is normally arranged through the government or a social service agency. The institution, group home, or foster parent is compensated for expenses unless with a family member.
The Annie E. Casey Foundation (AECF) is a charitable foundation focused on improving the well-being of American children and youth.
Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA) is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting people living with muscular dystrophy, ALS, and related neuromuscular diseases. Founded in 1950 by Paul Cohen, who lived with muscular dystrophy, MDA accelerates research, advances care, and works to empower families to live longer and more independent lives. Renowned for The MDA Labor Day Telethon, the annual telecast aired live from 1966 to 2010 and was hosted by Jerry Lewis, who also served as MDA's national chairman.
Maximus Inc. is an American government services company, with global operations in countries including the United States, Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. The company contracts with government agencies to provide services to manage and administer government-sponsored programs. Maximus provides administration and other services for Medicaid, Medicare, health care reform, welfare-to-work, and student loan servicing among other government programs. The company is based in Tysons, Virginia, has 34,300 employees and a reported annual revenue of $3.46 billion in fiscal year 2020.
Orange Krush is a branch of the registered student organization (RSO), Illini Pride, at the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign. In its current form, the Organization has two faces. First, the Orange Krush is the student cheering section for the University of Illinois men's basketball team. Second, the Orange Krush exists as a charitable organization known as the Orange Krush Foundation.
Horseland was an online community and browser game where members took care of, bred, trained and showed horses and dogs. Begun in 1994 in the United States, Horseland had grown to have more than 8 million users who played from all over the world. Most of the players were females from age 10 to 22, although a number of adults played the game. In September 2006, an animated cartoon series based on the website was launched in the United States. The cartoon is now distributed around the world. The game is no longer online, having closed sometime in April 2019.
Catholic Charities USA is the national voluntary membership organization for Catholic Charities agencies throughout the United States and its territories. Catholic Charities USA is a member of Caritas Internationalis, an international federation of Catholic social service organizations. Catholic Charities USA is the national office of 167 local Catholic Charities agencies nationwide.
Child protective services (CPS) is the name of an agency in many states of the United States responsible for providing child protection, which includes responding to reports of child abuse or neglect. Some states use other names, often attempting to reflect more family-centered practices, such as department of children and family services (DCFS). CPS is also sometimes known by the name of department of social services, though these terms more often have a broader meaning.
The California Community Foundation(CCF) is a philanthropic organization located in Los Angeles, California. Foundation Center, an independent nonprofit organization, ranks it among the top 100 foundations in the nation by asset size and total giving. Among all community foundations, CCF is 5th by total giving and 7th by asset size, as of the fiscal year that ended 6/30/12.
Dream House For Medically Fragile Children was a Georgia-based organization dedicated to providing financial support and homes to children with severe health issues. It is a tax-exempt 501(c)(3) charitable nonprofit. The organization was founded by Laura O. Moore, a pediatric nurse. The organization eventually served "children [who] had been abandoned by their families because they didn't have the means to properly care for the child. In other instances, the child had been taken from the parents or caregivers because of abuse or neglect." Children could stabilize and improve with good care, and then returning them to their families, placing them in foster homes and/or obtaining adoption would be possible.
Vaccinate Your Family (VYF), formerly known as Every Child By Two (ECBT), is a non-profit organization, based in the United States, which advocates for vaccinations. Founded in 1991, its stated goals are to "raise awareness of the critical need for timely immunizations and to foster a systematic way to immunize all of America's children by age two." ECBT was founded by former First Lady of the United States Rosalynn Carter and former First Lady of Arkansas Betty Bumpers. ECBT was renamed to Vaccinate Your Family in 2018.
Starfish Greathearts Foundation is an international non-governmental organisation formed in 2001 to help orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa. Its mission is to help make a difference in the lives of such children via community-based projects working at grassroots level. This enables individual communities to develop their own solutions to fight the challenges they come across. As of January 2022, Starfish projects have reached more than 220,000 children in 110 communities across South Africa.</ref> Starfish Greathearts Foundation.
Kevin Ryan, was the president and CEO of Covenant House International, one of the largest charities in North and Central America serving homeless, trafficked and sexually exploited youth.
'Najlah Feanny (1961), or Najlah Feanny Hicks is an American photojournalist and former Newsweek Magazine contributor. Feanny covered politics, the American landscape, breaking news, feature stories, as well as documented stories in dozens of countries around the world. Feanny's images are represented by Corbis Images. She has set up projects and organizations to help vulnerable young people: the Heart Gallery of New Jersey, Do1Thing, and Design for Social GOOD.
The Local Initiative Health Authority for Los Angeles County is a public agency that provides health insurance for low-income individuals in Los Angeles County through four health coverage programs including Medi-Cal.
Children's Health Fund (CHF) is a nonprofit organization that provides health care to children and families on mobile medical clinics throughout the United States. CHF was founded in 1987 by singer/songwriter Paul Simon and pediatrician/advocate Irwin Redlener. The organization began with a single mobile medical unit funded by Simon and designed by Redlener's wife, Karen. More than 20 years later, the organization has 23 programs with more than 50 mobile medical units and is the nation's leading provider of mobile-based health care for homeless and low-income children and their families. Karen Redlener remains with CHF, currently serving as the organization's executive director.
Foster care is the term used for a system in which a minor who has been made a ward is placed in an institution, group home, relative placement, or private home of a state certified caregiver. The placement of the child is usually arranged through the government or a social-service agency. The institution, group home, or foster parent is paid. The state via the family court and child protection agency stand in loco parentis to the minor, making all legal decisions, while the foster parent is responsible for the day-to-day care of the minor. The foster parent is remunerated by the state for their services.
David Meade is an American politician and a Republican member of the Kentucky House of Representatives representing District 80 since January 2013. His legislative district includes Lincoln County and part of Pulaski County. Meade serves as Speaker pro tempore of the Kentucky House of Representatives, a constitutional office and the second-highest position in the 100-member legislative chamber.
New Yorkers For Children (NYFC) is a not-for-profit organization which helps people who have aged out of the foster care system. Founded in 1996 by Nicholas Scoppetta in Manhattan, New York, the organization focuses on the academic success of foster children. NYFC's goal is to help all the youths in the foster care system to succeed academically and with equal opportunity in the workforce. With their partner Administration for Children's Services (ACS), NYFC is able to provide school supplies, access to academic counselling, job opportunities, access to schools, as well as financial support to keep them in school.
