Get Involved

There’s a Place for You in This

It’s a common misconception that the only way to help a child in foster care is to become a foster parent. The truth is that foster families need a whole community behind them—and that community needs people with a huge variety of gifts, schedules, and capacities.

Below are concrete, specific ways you—as an individual, family, group, congregation or workplace—can contribute to a Michigan where every child in foster care has more than enough.

Top 3 Ways to Get Involved

When a community wraps around a foster family, foster parents are far more likely to stay—and that means fewer placement moves and better outcomes for kids.

Top 3 Ways to Get Involved with Foster Care

1

Become a care community member for a specific foster family – commit to regular, reliable support like meals, childcare relief, or a listening ear

2

Befriend and support a birth family as they work to reunify with their children

3

Offer to drive a foster child to appointments, school activities, or sibling visits

For Individuals and Families

Become a care community member for a specific foster family—commit to regular, reliable support like meals, childcare relief, or a listening ear
Donate new or gently used children’s clothing, toys, backpacks, or bedding
Offer to drive a foster child to appointments, school activities, or sibling visits
Tutor or mentor a school-age child in care
Befriend and support a birth family as they work to reunify with their children
Mentor a young person aging out of foster care (youth 18–21 face unique challenges as they transition to adulthood without a family safety net)

For Groups, Congregations, and Organizations

Host a diaper drive, hygiene kit assembly, or welcome bag project for children entering care
Organize a meal train for a new foster family
Host an informational event to raise awareness about foster care in your community
Provide respite care to give foster families a break when they need it most
Sponsor a foster family’s training or certification costs
Create a foster family closet or lending library of supplies
Partner with Wellspring to recruit and support foster families in your area

Give
Financial contributions directly support the families and children Wellspring serves. From emergency needs funds to training resources to family support programs, your generosity makes the work possible. Every dollar stays in Michigan.
Pray
Foster care is hard work—for children, birth families, foster families, and the professionals supporting them. One meaningful way to help is to pray consistently, and by name when possible. Pray for children longing for stability, for parents working toward healing, for foster families giving their all, and for the staff carrying heavy responsibilities each day. Consider doing this together—with your congregation, small group, or neighbors. Shared prayer doesn’t replace action; it sustains it.

Respite Care: A Vital Role

Respite care providers are licensed foster parents who care for children on a short-term basis so that their regular foster family can rest, attend to a family need, or recharge. Burnout is one of the top reasons foster families leave—and respite care is one of the most powerful ways to prevent it.

If you can’t commit to full-time fostering but want to make a hands-on difference, becoming a respite provider may be the perfect fit. Ask us about it.

Become a Mentor

Mentor a young person aging out of foster care (youth 18–21 face unique challenges as they transition to adulthood without a family safety net).

Ready to Take a Step?

Contact your regional Wellspring office to find out what’s most needed in your community right now. Whether you have two hours a month or twenty, there is a place for you in this.