Every May, communities across the United States pause to remember a group of children who often go unseen — kids who have been removed from unsafe homes, separated from everything familiar, and placed in the care of strangers. National Foster Care Month is the nation’s annual reminder that these children exist, that they’re worth fighting for, and that ordinary people can make an extraordinary difference in their lives.
We at Sunny Glen Children’s Home have been showing up for children like these since 1936. We’ve walked alongside more than 25,000 children over the past 90 years, and we believe deeply that every child deserves to feel safe, loved, and known. May is a month that gives our whole community a chance to lean into that belief together.
A Brief History of National Foster Care Month
The observance began in 1988, when President Ronald Reagan officially proclaimed May as a time to recognize foster parents and the critical work they do. It was a simple but meaningful act — putting a spotlight on caregivers who open their homes and hearts to children in crisis.
Since then, the initiative has grown considerably. Coordinated by the Children’s Bureau within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Foster Care Month now carries a unique theme each year. Recent themes have focused on supporting young people as they age out of the system, building stronger community connections, and expanding the kinds of support available to youth in care. In May 2025, President Trump officially proclaimed the observance and called on Americans to recognize foster caregivers and step forward for children who need them.
What started as recognition of foster parents has become a broader national conversation — one that includes residential care providers, faith communities, mentors, donors, and everyday neighbors who are willing to show up.
The Numbers That Tell the Story
Statistics don’t capture the full weight of what children in care experience, but they do tell us something important about the scale of the need. At any given time, more than 360,000 children and youth are in foster care across the United States. Each year, more than 20,000 young people age out of the system entirely without ever finding a permanent family to call their own. More than 70,000 children currently live in kinship care, placed with grandparents, aunts, uncles, or other relatives who stepped in when parents couldn’t. And a troubling 77 percent of eligible youth between the ages of 14 and 21 leave care without receiving the federally funded services designed to help them become self-sufficient adults.
These aren’t just numbers. They’re real children — many of whom carry invisible wounds. Trauma lives in the body and the brain long after a child has been moved to a safer place, shaping the way they see themselves and the world around them. That’s why the work happening at Sunny Glen goes beyond providing shelter. We focus on healing, on consistent care, and on the kind of steady love that helps a child begin to trust again.
What We Do at Sunny Glen Children’s Home
Our story and our purpose are questions we take seriously. Sunny Glen is a residential children’s home built on a commitment to healing trauma and offering new hope through God’s love. Our work is guided by and grounded in Christian faith — in the belief that every child carries inherent dignity and that caring for the vulnerable is one of the most meaningful things a community can do. We believe God calls us to see children the way He does: as deeply worthy of love, protection, and belonging.
Our programs and ministries include residential care for children who need a stable home environment, the Poenisch Counseling Center which brings professional mental health support to children and families, and the Allen House Supervised Independent Living program for older youth preparing for life on their own. We also serve refugee children who arrive carrying their own particular kind of loss. Children in our care participate in weekly worship and Bible studies, not as a requirement to check off, but because we believe spiritual grounding is woven into genuine healing. When a child begins to understand that they are loved by God, something in them starts to open.
National Foster Care Month and the San Benito Community
So where does the local community come in? Right here. National Foster Care Month is an open invitation for neighbors, families, and organizations to ask a simple question: what can I do?
The answer looks different for everyone. Some people are in a place to give financially. Others have time and skills to offer through volunteering. Some might share what they’ve learned with their networks, raising awareness in ways that eventually reach someone who has been quietly considering this kind of work for years. None of these contributions are too small. Children’s lives are shaped by accumulated acts of care such as a meal provided, a check written, a conversation started that leads someone toward something meaningful. Every act of faithfulness adds up to something bigger than any one of us can see from where we’re standing.
How You Can Get Involved This May
Come be part of this work with Sunny Glen this May and let your support meet a real need. Whether you’ve lived in the Rio Grande Valley your whole life or you’re still getting to know this community, there’s a place for you in this work.
Volunteering your time is one of the most direct ways to contribute. Mentoring, tutoring, simply spending consistent time with children who have had very little stability in their lives — these things carry more weight than we can measure. Showing up week after week for a child who has learned not to trust that anyone will stay is its own kind of quiet miracle.
You can also give toward the programs that keep Sunny Glen’s work moving forward every single day. If you have questions about how your gifts are used or what our current needs are, we’d love to hear from you. Just reach out and start a conversation with our team directly.
May is only 31 days long. But the impact of showing up during National Foster Care Month can last a lifetime.
An Invitation Worth Accepting
National Foster Care Month is a call to anyone who believes children deserve better than uncertainty and fear, that they deserve to be seen, to feel steady, to be loved well. At Sunny Glen Children’s Home, we’ve answered that call for nearly a century. We’ve seen what happens when a community wraps itself around a hurting child. Love and consistency are remarkable things.
This May, give. Volunteer. Pray. Donate. Spread the word. Show up for the children of San Benito and the Rio Grande Valley however you can. They’re worth it, and so is the work.
What Role Do Children’s Homes Play During National Foster Care Month?
Some children need more than a placement. They need a real, consistent place where someone shows up for them every single day. When family-based settings aren’t the right fit, residential care steps in — structured routines, professional counseling, peers who get it, and caregivers trained to meet trauma with patience. National Foster Care Month is a good time to ask what doing this well actually looks like. It looks like a child finally exhaling because someone isn’t going anywhere.
How Can Faith Communities Support Child Welfare Beyond the Obvious?
Faith communities carry something powerful — a belief that every child is seen and loved by God. That belief is meant to move people. Volunteering, funding counseling, mentoring young people, dropping off donations aren’t small gestures. For a child who’s felt invisible, they can be everything. National Foster Care Month is a natural moment for congregations to get personally involved, especially by partnering with organizations that understand what these children carry.
What Is Trauma-Informed Care?
A child’s past shapes how they experience their present. Trauma-informed care starts there. When a child lashes out, shuts down, or can’t sit still, something deeper is usually happening. Trained caregivers get curious instead of reactive — asking what’s underneath the behavior, not just what it looks like. For children who’ve lived through abuse, neglect, or loss, consistency and compassion aren’t soft extras. They’re how trust gets built, one small moment at a time.
What Signs of Childhood Trauma Should Caregivers Know?
Children often can’t put words to what they’ve been through. So their bodies and behaviors do the talking. Watch for emotional outbursts, withdrawal, trouble sleeping, hypervigilance, or behaviors younger than their age. These aren’t character flaws. They’re ways of communicating. Trained caregivers learn to hear that, responding with support instead of discipline.