How to Sponsor a Child for Adoption at Your House for Thanksgiving

Sponsoring and working with children in foster care or those waiting to be adopted is not easy but the rewards are amazing. Sponsoring a child for a short time can be a wonderful way to find out if you and the child(ren) will be a good fit. But it's not something to do just for fun or to be taken lightly. This is why there are no programs that allow you to sponsor a child just for the holidays, though there are many ways to help foster children.

Things You'll Need

• Background check Relationship with a social service agency

Instructions

1. Work through Kidsave.org to sponsor a child for a "Miracle Weekend" if you live in Washington D.C. or LA county (see Resources below). This allows you to host a child for a short time.

2. Call your local Department of Children and Families and ask if they have any programs that will allow you to sponsor a child or a foster family for the holidays. You can invite them to your home or bring the holidays to theirs.

3. Become a Big Brother or Big Sister (see Resources below). Your charge will probably have a family of his or her own, and you can include them in your family celebration or include your little brother or sister in some of your family's other holiday activities.

4. Choose to volunteer and/or donate to a charity that works with foster kids such as KidSave.org, NationalCASA.org or the National Foster Parents Association. Or you can go to Charity Navigator and search their charity database.

Tips & Warnings

• Take your time while deciding the best way to help, not all volunteer opportunities make sense for every lifestyle.

• Working with foster kids can be very emotionally challenging. Be prepared to earn their trust.

Resources

• Weekend Miracles Program
• Big Brothers and Big Sisters
• National Foster Parent Association
• Charity Navigator