How Can I Help?

Through a chance meeting at a Borders bookstore, I was invited to attend a Family Services of Metro Orlando Community Connection Tour meeting. This was a get acquainted networking meeting for an assortment of attendees from the community. We learned about the various services the agency provides and their needs for assistance to make their efforts reach further.

This is a non-profit agency of dedicated social workers, who are working with kids and families in crisis. They provide the whole gamut - everything from finding foster homes and adoptive parents to enlisting the skills of a lady who enjoys scrapbooking to help them tell their story. Those who attend these monthly meetings are asked to help Family Services spread the word about the agency and possibly find others who can also contribute time, talent, and resources. This was an excellent example of the value of "viral marketing".

We also learned that FSMO exists because every year in Florida:

* more than 58,000 children are abused or neglected.
* nearly 30,000 children receive out-of-home care.
* more than 23,000 teenage girls give birth.
* nearly 40 percent of children live in households headed by single parents.
* child abuse rates exceed national averages and federal standards.

There are so many ways to get involved and you can help in very small ways as well. Even a little bit of involvement can make a major difference. You may not be able to bring peace to the world or solve the problems in health care, but everyone has what it takes to make a difference in a child's life - and who knows what a difference that could make...??!!

I DARE YOU TO CONTACT this group! You will be impressed, and you will want to do what you can to make positive things happen. Guaranteed!