Our community is full of incredible people and organizations out making a difference for others! In this month’s Non-Profit Spotlight we’d like to recognize the Rose Again Foundation!
Rose Again was founded in May of 2013 by high school senior Natalie Shadle Dixon following her volunteer work at a orphanage in Guatemala. Natalie wanted to find a way to provide for the needs of foster children who did not have the blessing of parents, a good education, and basic needs. She put together a Board of Directors who met with local foster parents, social workers, city officials, and emancipated foster youth to learn of the needs that would benefit foster children the most, and otherwise not being met.
The initial goals were to provide needs that improve the health, wellness, and education of foster children in the community. Programs and services were developed after much research. Additional programs have been added due to critical needs that were recognized over the years and especially during COVID-19.
We asked Rose Again Foundation Program Administrator, Maria Baldovinos, what the non-profit offers and who can benefit from their programs, and here is what she had to say:
RAF provides the following programs to Emergency/New placement foster children who arrive most often with little to nothing but the clothes on their backs. These children often arrive traumatized, severely neglected, and abused. They struggle daily with their circumstance and the loss and separation from family. Programs provided are:
1) Emergency / New gifting
2) Tutor Me program
3) Kids Soar – Extra curricular activities
4) Good Start Breakfast program
5) Financial aid for Emergency or special needs
6) Bless the children – Gifting programThe above services are provided to: foster infants, children, teens and emancipated youth.
CEO Rhonda Reinke comes with years of experience in volunteering with local non-profits. She has been a full-time volunteer CEO since her granddaughter Natalie founded the non profit. Rhonda and Maria both work out of their home office to save the expense of a store front and all the expenses that go along with that. This allows for more money to be available to serve the children in need. The Board of Directors is a working Board and have helped to provide services to over 1,000 foster children in their community. With the support of the cities, local businesses and community members together they are changing lives for foster children living in the community.
For the month of May 2021 Stromsoe Insurance will donate $21 to the Rose Again Foundation, for every referral that comes to our team!
Learn More about The 2021 Vision Referral Rewards Program HERE…
Many have the misconception that a foster family’s expenses for taking in foster children are completely covered and may even give them extra money for their own use. This is not the case. Many foster parents spend a great deal of time and money meeting the needs of these children day and night, helping them through their trauma, lack of education, and driving them to many required appointments and visitations. Rose Again Foundation provides services to the children which helps foster parents accepting foster children into their home. This also gives siblings a chance of staying together in a single foster home.
A misconception of the non-profit as a whole is that Rose Again Foundation is a placement agency for foster children. RAF is not a placement agency but rather a support resource for the families who open their heart and home to these children in great need.
Baldovinos gave us some insight into the affects of COVID on the non-profit and the children they support:
With COVID restrictions all the annual fundraisers were cancelled. This change the way on how we fundraise with the goal of continuing to provide our critical and healing services to the foster children living in our community.
In addition, foster families who were struggling with the loss of income reached out to us for additional help so they would be able to keep the children in their home. In addition, some foster families that they were able to take another foster child or siblings because of the help they received from Rose Again Foundation. We began providing food, basic needs and in home tutoring. Due to the pandemic we continue providing all of those services in addition to our regular services. At this time because the need still exists for many of our families.
News have stated since COVID many foster children are lonely due to not being able to visit siblings and parents in person. Social workers are having a difficult time placing foster children in homes due to foster parents being afraid of taking in these children with concerns of COVID risks. The pandemic has made being in foster care much more challenging.
If you would like to help support the Rose Again Foundation, please engage with them via Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
Rose Again Foundation is excited to share that they are celebrating their eight year anniversary this May 2021! They have served over 1,000 local foster infants, children, teens and emancipated youth since the non-profit’s founding in May of 2013. They are celebrating their anniversary through a campaign to the community asking for monthly donations of $8 which will allow them to continue providing services to “their” kids and to be prepared to serve the large increase of foster children that they are anticipating to come once schools open up and that teachers and staff recognize abuse and severe neglect. These are the children that have been suffering over the past year during the pandemic in their home.
Emergency placement children arrive with a few hours notice and with little to nothing but the clothes on their backs. It is important that Rose Again Foundation is able to immediately respond to children’s needs including:
- New clothes
- Shoes
- Hygiene items
- Basic needs
- Special needs
Monthly donors allow Rose Again to respond immediately to the children’s needs. This sometimes includes a bed for a child, a mattress, crib, car seat, high chair, owlet socket for a heart monitor for drug addicted babies suffering withdrawals, and other special needs.
For the month of May 2021 Stromsoe Insurance will donate $21 to the Rose Again Foundation, for every referral that comes to our team!
Learn More about The 2021 Vision Referral Rewards Program HERE…
Would you like to learn more about how we can help protect your non-profit , call your Stromsoe Insurance Total Protection Team at (951) 600-5751 or email [email protected] today!