FOSTERING COMMUNITY BLOG
What do you get when you combine:
Houston Angels' very first Boo Box Bash! What's a Boo Box Bash? It is a grab-and-go event to celebrate Halloween! Our friends at Sunrise Spiritist Society of Texas volunteered to assemble THE most amazing Halloween-themed Love Boxes for all of the families and youth on our waitlists. They were decorated and filled with goodies like candy, snacks, pumpkin carving supplies, arts and crafts, decorations and more! Everyone was invited to our favorite place in Houston - the site of our mural! - to pick up their Boo Boxes, grab individually-wrapped bagels and cookies, and take family photos in front of the angel wings. Thank you to our community partners who made this project possible:⠀ Click the video below to see more photos from this fun project!
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DANIEL ALVAREZ-MALODaniel was born and raised in Mexico City where he graduated with an accounting degree. Right after
graduation, he moved to Houston to marry his wife Paola after dating long distance for four years! They now have two lovely daughters and two crazy cats. He has worked in the Oil & Gas industry in different accounting related roles since he relocated. Daniel feels a personal connection to the Houston Angels’ mission. He became an orphan at the age of 9 after his parents died of cancer. In the beginning, he lived with his older siblings, but they were still too young to know how to navigate the responsibilities of raising a young boy. During this period, Daniel went from being an honor roll student to almost failing a grade and being expelled from middle school. Things changed when some distant relatives offered to foster him and welcomed him into their home. His grades improved almost immediately and he began making better friendships. He also started working full time as soon as he could and paid for his education. All of this was possible thanks to the power of having a good support system, good role models and a stable and loving environment. Daniel knows he was very fortunate and he is forever grateful for all the help that he received from many people along the way. He is determined to pay it forward by helping foster kids that can benefit from having additional support, both emotionally and financially. When Daniel found out about the Houston Angels’ mission and programs, he knew this was the right way for him to give back to these amazing kids. He is proud to support the organization as part of the Board of Directors and as Treasurer. October 10 is World Mental Health Day, a day to highlight issues surrounding mental health, and the need for supportive efforts.⠀ ⠀ We know that foster care WILL most likely affect a child's mental health, in more ways than one. Children are removed from their homes and placed into foster care as a result of neglect or physical, emotional, or sexual abuse. These kids have also likely experienced other disadvantages such as poverty, parental drug and alcohol abuse, and more. And while in foster care, they are likely to move between placements multiple times - which means multiple sets of parents and siblings, houses, schools, friends, routines, and lifestyles to become familiar with, if they even have time to before moving again. When this type of complex trauma and stress happens so early in life, there are long-lasting effects on the child's brain chemistry and their psychological, emotional, mental and behavioral health. They are more likely to miss developmental milestones, struggle in school and have learning disabilities, and are less likely to graduate. And the longer children in foster care go without the proper intervention and healing, the more their mental health can decline as they age.⠀ We know the following statistics to be true:
This is why we strive to build community around foster families and youth. Our local caregivers deserve our support. And children need time to trust that their world is stable and safe. They need to be surrounded by healthy adults that allow them to feel seen, heard, valued and capable.⠀ ⠀ Mental health matters. And we can help. https://www.ncsl.org/research/human-services/mental-health-and-foster-care.aspx⠀ https://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/138/5/e20161118 |
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May 2023
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