Halloween is over and Cleveland Angels are busy thinking about the cheerful, magical feeling of the holiday season! We know not all children & youth in foster care have experienced the holidays in that way in the past, and we'd love your help to create a day of excitement and joy for them this December! We'll be bringing together our entire community for some fun (and of course, some holiday goodies, games, and a special stuffed animal to take home too!).

This is such a busy & exciting time of year for us -- we are lucky that we are already have a number of awesome community partners who will donate and sponsor gifts and gift baskets for the children, young people and caregivers in the foster care community of Greater Cleveland...looking at you, CloudCo, Cleveland Diagnostics, NAWIC Cleveland, Waste Dynamics, Northeast Surgical Wound Care, and Yost Foods!

But we would love more partners, because as Cleveland Angels grows, the number of families & youth we support has grown too!

We envision a great day in December for our entire community, as well collections and donations of gifts and gift baskets for all of our families that we support throughout the year!

Would you and your organization/business like to be part of our holiday event?
Contact [email protected], and we will work with you to get you involved in a way that works for you, your team and your organizations community engagement objectives!

Join us in creating some magic moments for fostering families in Greater Cleveland this holiday season!

Our Summer picnic is one of the few moments in a year when our entire community gets together -- families, Dare to Dream® mentors, Love Box® volunteers, Staff and Board. In the middle of a June Cleveland heatwave, we celebrated summer with a nautical theme and were excited to welcome more than 230 people in our community. We enjoyed a magic show, a yoga/relaxation class and a scavenger hunt... We shared a picnic together, had our faces painted, made bracelets, petted a puppy and played sports. Most of all we connected with each other, shared stories and laughed...

A huge THANK YOU to our sponsor (Jinisha Patel/State Farm), to our community partners (TRG Multimedia) for bringing an awesome team of volunteers, (Subway of Chesterland) for subsidizing our picnic lunches, Willie at (Tada Magician) for entertaining us, Casey Gruden for leading the yoga class and Joanne & Dexter (UH pet pals) for being the puppy pirate star of the show!

We also welcomed high school volunteers from University School, Gilmour Academy and Bay Village to help our families and children enjoy themselves.

We are better together! Happy Summer!

If you would like to sponsor or be part of a similar event in the future please contact [email protected].

Last fall, four of the high school seniors in our Dare to Dream® program came out to Edgewater Park for individual Senior Portrait photo sessions, and now, they've come full circle! We are SO excited to share that we have FOUR High School Graduates to celebrate!!

Knowing what barriers these young women had to overcome to earn their diplomas, we wanted to find a fun and creative way to acknowledge their achievement.

We partnered with an awesome local community arts program where everyone created a collage entitled "Landscape of My Future."  Graduates, mentors, staff and members of our associate board gathered together and worked alongside each other creating, painting and chatting. The end results speak for themselves! We finished off with pizza, cupcakes and a small gift for our graduates -- it was a special day.

Less than 50% of youth in foster care graduate high school. Less than 3% graduate from college. Our Dare to Dream® mentoring program helps in providing much needed support, consistency and stability to young people in foster care who are navigating high school and beyond. This is definitely cause for celebration!

Thank you to Jacqui (@studiocatart) for guiding us, and to University School (@universityschool) whose grant from the LoPresti Foundation enabled us to recognize such an achievement.

This year for back to school season we are looking to be as intentional as possible to help the youth in our Dare to Dream® program thrive in the classroom! If you would like to support a youth who is currently in high school or beginning their college journey be best equipped to start school this fall, there are multiple ways to help!

You can purchase items off the  Amazon Wishlist  where youth has chosen what they need, OR you can Donate any amount toward fulfilling their wish! Don't forget to share this opportunity with others who might want to get involved!

THANK YOU for supporting our Cleveland Angels Dare to Dream® mentees! Each gift is not only a practical support, but an encouraging message that you believe in their future. ✨

If you are interested in sponsoring or partnering with us on future events please contact [email protected].

Did you know that 20,000 young people age out of foster care every year. 20% will experience homelessness within four years. That's 1 in 5.

When we see a stat like this, we may ask ourselves, how does that happen? Why? Let's talk about it for a minute. I'd like to tell you about Lacie*.

Lacie is an 18-year-old who aged out of care. She returned to what she knew, and went home to her mom. Only weeks later, Lacie ran away because she felt so unsafe there. Things that had led to her being removed into foster care had not changed at all. Were maybe worse. Lacie found herself in a shelter downtown. Now an 'adult', (though a very young one), she was housed with other adults. She sat in her room day after day, thinking about what she should do. She didn't have anyone to call, or to ask for help. A lack of consistent schooling had left her with no diploma, and not many options for working.

When we connected with Lacie, she had no idea what her next step should be.

Can you see how it might happen that a youth has no where to go? This is only one example of way too many. And so we think, isn't there something in place to support kids in that situation? Why isn't someone doing something about it?

It's both difficult to understand, and to accept this is happening in our country. We care about our youth. We want to see them get a good education; to thrive as young adults. We want the best for them. But this reality is ongoing -- that year upon year, youth in foster care are emancipated from our overwhelmed child welfare system, and too many fall between the cracks.

There are a lot of programs to help, actually. There can be planning before they leave care, there are scholarships, and non-profits with housing supports; there are government programs that can give them stipends if they work or go to school, even more. There is a lot out there. Let me ask you...if it were you, newly an adult, maybe one with fractured schooling from all of your moves to different foster homes in different districts, or maybe one with a learning disability that was never caught or treated, maybe one with intense PTSD from the trauma you suffered when you were younger and with mental health needs now...where would you start?

Would you know what a healthy life should look like, or what your goals are? Would you be ready to call around, do research, advocate for yourself? To make a plan, to build a new life? I don't think that many of us would. I wouldn't. So despite resources and opportunity, 1 in FIVE are ending up homeless. Couch surfing. Just surviving.

What makes a difference then, in a system that operates this way? That has so many caring professionals, yet so many outcomes that we cannot continue to accept? The answer to that -- is entirely unremarkable. The data, research and pure common sense has put the answer in front of us over and over again. Strong relationships are what can make the difference. A trusted person who can help guide; can love through bumps & bad decisions, and still be there on the other side to illuminate a path for that youth's self-empowerment and personal versions of success. Youth in care, and those leaving care, need a "Someone."

This is what Cleveland Angels is -- a connector to all the 'someones' who want to step forward, and be there as a friend, advocate and mentor to youth in & after care. To let them know, they are worth our time and support. A community built up with & around those who may have none.

Want to be a part of that? There are so many reasons to do it...

For Lacie. For the 150 children & youth on our waitlist. For every youth in care, that could become that 1 in 5. Let's say NO to that, here in Cleveland.

Join the solution and join our Angel Alliance to funnel support and relationships to our youth. Every bit matters.

Help us #ChangeTheStats!

*Name changed for privacy.

Intentionality in Matching

Within both the Dare to Dream® and Love Box® programs, our team makes every effort to be as intentional as possible when matching families and youth with volunteers and mentors. Case Managers at Cleveland Angels have the honor of meeting with each youth referred to our Dare to Dream® program. This gives us the opportunity to get to know the youths' unique personality, dreams, goals, and interests. It also lets us better understand what THEY want out of a mentoring relationship, as well as qualities they would like for their mentor to have. Letting the youth on our waitlist have as much choice as possible when picking a mentor is also something we are very intentional with. Many times, the youth on our waitlist get the opportunity to look at multiple bios of mentors to choose from. We put a HUGE emphasis on CHOICE since youth experiencing foster care very often do not have a say about who is and is not in their life.

When someone applies to be a Dare to Dream® Mentor, we have an in-depth conversation about the program and the expectations that come with it. We also get to know the volunteers' interests, background, reasoning for wanting to become a mentor, as well as what age group they would be interested in mentoring. Once accepted as a mentor in our Dare to Dream® program, we will then meet for an hour-long orientation to make sure they are fully prepared for the program, and that any questions are answered before entering the role of a “mentor.”

Last month, when a youth referral came in with interests that heavily mirrored the interests of a mentor waiting to be matched, everyone in the office was excited to send the youth the bio of the mentor to see what she thought. They both very much enjoyed being active, especially through playing sports. The youth specifically loves softball and volleyball, and recently started playing both. Sure enough, the mentor waiting has played softball the majority of her life, and has two daughters around the youths age who play volleyball. In addition to that, they both enjoy trying new things! Once sent the bio of the mentor, the youth responded quickly with a “YES!”

On their first visit together, they spent time talking about what a “perfect day” with each other would look like. They both agreed that spending time hitting the volleyball back and forth or getting more comfortable with hitting a softball accompanied by trying a new restaurant would be ideal. The youth also loved that the mentor had daughters her age, and hoped that they would be involved in some of their hangouts as well.

Being intentional about how we match in our programs is what makes our matches so sustainable and meaningful. If you are interested in hearing more stories about how individuals are impacted through how we intentionally match through our programs, click HERE!

Hi, I'm Heather, and I have worked at Cleveland Angels as a Case Manager for three years now. Before I started this job, I had very little knowledge of anything related to foster care or trauma's effect on someone, but knew I wanted to support those who were working through it. To help build some foundational knowledge early on, our staff decided to take part in some continuing education together to deepen our understanding of trauma and how that effects the population we serve. One of the first books we read as a staff was The Body Keeps the Score by Dr. Bessel Van Der Kolk.

So, how does a book about trauma and the brain relate to a the work we do at Cleveland Angels? In the book's very first section we read, "trauma is not just an event that took place in the past; it is also the imprint left by that experience on mind, brain, and body” (21). As we moved through this book I remember thinking to myself “I wish everyone could read this” because it directly relates to the reason why our programs are structured as they are. Love Box and Dare to Dream are both 12 months (+) long experiences, with a trauma informed approach rooted in building healthy, trusting relationships.

As a Case Manager here, I fully recognize that I have not lived the same life, or experienced the same hardships that many of the youth I work with have. I can never fully understand how they feel. According to Dr. Van Der Kolk “Understanding Foster Care is like learning about a foreign country. If you are not from there, you don’t speak the language. Life is upside down for foster-care youth” (342). But what I can do is begin to create a safe space for them, match them with a mentor who can be in the thick of it with them, and introduce them to entire community of people who are here to cheer them on and support them.

Part of my job is going to meet with youth who are newly referred to our mentorship program Dare to Dream. Whenever I go to visit a youth to talk about our Dare to Dream Program I always tell them that in this program, they are in the drivers seat and their mentor and I are along for the ride. That statement is sometimes met with a shy smile or a look of disbelief. Children and youth experiencing foster care often have little to no control over where they live, where they go to school, or the people that come in and out of their lives. This lack of control can lead to youth feeling hopeless for their future or overcome with anxiety about all of things about the world that they do not know. By matching them them up with a mentor who is willing and ready to be a consistent figure in their life, to guide them through mistakes and hard times we give them someone who is going to give them a voice. Maybe you are thinking "how does providing consistency and choices impact them in the long run?” The book touches on this very idea-- “If you want to give them a sense of control, you have to give them power over their destiny rather than intervene on their behalf....You cannot help, fix, or save the young people you are working with. What you can do is work side by side with them, help them to understand their vision, and realize it with them. By doing that you are giving them back control. We are healing trauma without anyone ever mentioning the word” (344).

This brings us back to one of the main themes of this book -- RELATIONSHIPS. This is what Cleveland Angels does so well. Dr. Van Der Kolk says “a fundamental truth is our capacity to destroy one another is matched by our capacity to heal one another. Restoring relationships and community is central to restoring well-being”(38).

This book is a great tool for ANYONE who is going through a hard time, or caring for someone who is coming from a hard place. If we can all be a bit more kind, & lead with empathy and understanding, we can create a safe space where healing can happen.

If anyone out there feels called to learn more about ways to get involved with Cleveland Angels, please contact us here, or you can email me at [email protected]!

TBRI is a phrase heard often in the explanation and implementation of our programs, but what exactly is it? 

TBRI is a trauma-informed, attachment-based intervention that was created to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children- it stands for Trust Based Relational Intervention. Trust is learned in the first year of life, and youth who have experienced trauma have experienced a serious breach in trust. Without intervention, the effects of this can intensify later in adolescence and adulthood, especially if the trauma was of an interpersonal nature, say with a parent or sibling. Layers of trauma from abuse, neglect, maltreatment, system effects such as homelessness, discrimination, and multiple foster placements can worsen the child's ability to emotionally regulate or accept affection. TBRI can be used as a therapeutic model for those caring for vulnerable children to be able to provide effective support and rebuild connections in the brain that were missing or damaged by traumatic life events.
TBRI is not only seen in homes where parenting is taking place, but also in residential homes for youth, group homes, schools, juvenile detention facilities, and clinical practices & therapy.  Many foster parenting classes teach the principles of TBRI as well. When you join Cleveland Angels as a volunteer, our staff offers orientation and discussion on TBRI, to give you an understanding of how the way you interact and relate to a child can truly be healing.

TBRI uses 3 main sets of principles that look at the child as a WHOLE. Here's a quick explanation of how TBRI supports healing in children with trauma.

1. Empowering Principles: This principle focuses on addressing the physical needs of the child, such as hydration, food, and creating a predictable daily routine. This principle helps children learn the importance of self regulation and also builds their trust when their basic needs are being met.

2. Connecting Principles: This principle focuses on the interaction between the child and caregiver that produces warmth and trust. Behavioral matching, playful engagement, eye contact, healthy touch, and being aware about tone of voice are ways to be intentional about connecting with vulnerable children. This principle focuses on the fact that connecting can disarm fear, gain trust, and enhance learning in youth.

3. Correcting Principles: This principle focuses on shaping behaviors and beliefs effectively so that children feel safe, protected and empowered. Using proactive strategies such as teaching self regulation and social skills, as well as reactive strategies that display effective and positive communication in response to the child's behavior.

Interested in exploring TBRI more? Here is a great resource to further your knowledge!
TBRI® 101: A Self-Guided Course in Trust-Based Relationships

Sources: “TBRI®.” Karyn Purvis Institute of Child Development,
child.tcu.edu/about-us/tbri/#sthash.JRYa8W27.dpbs. Accessed 26 Jan. 2024. 

Hello, Cleveland Angels community! We're thrilled to share some fantastic news with you – we've recently celebrated *SEVEN* incredible matches in our programs, bringing together volunteers with families and youth in need of support. It's moments like these that truly define the spirit of our community and the dedication of our team!

Our Case Managers are truly the heroes behind the scenes, working hard hour by hour to ensure that support is in place for families and youth on our waitlist. Their commitment and passion drive the success of our programs, making it possible for us to create meaningful connections and a positive impact.

So, how do we go about making these magical matches? It all starts when volunteers like you express their interest in joining our cause. Here's a glimpse into our matching process:

1. You Apply! Volunteers kick off their journey by filling out a simple application form. This step allows us to understand their preferences, skills, and availability.
2. We Have a Good Chat. One of our dedicated Case Managers will be "your person" throughout the whole process! They will conduct intentional conversations with each volunteer to delve deeper into their motivations for volunteering with youth in foster care, learn about their life experiences, and discuss the specific ways they envision making a difference.
3. You Ponder Some Possible Matches! Our Case Managers carefully analyze the unique needs and circumstances of the families and youth on our waitlist. They consider factors such as location, interests, and compatibility to create matches that have the potential to blossom into meaningful relationships. Your Case Manager will talk with you about some possible families (Love Box®) or youth (Dare to Dream™) near you whose needs match up with what you have in mind. Once you make a choice, the family/youth will be presented with your bio and weigh in on whether they want to match with you... typically they do!
4. You Attend a 1.5 Hour Orientation. Once selected, volunteers are equipped with the knowledge and tools needed to provide the best possible support to their assigned families or youth. We cover topics like Foster Care 101, the effects of trauma on development, and offer skills and strategies proven to help build resilience in children & youth. Any and all questions you have can be answered, and you may meet some other like minded volunteers while you're there!
5. You Meet Your Match 🙂 Once a match is identified, our case managers facilitate the introduction between the volunteer and the family or youth. This initial meeting sets the stage for the journey ahead.
6. You Have Ongoing Support, No Matter What. Our commitment doesn't end with the match – it's an ongoing process. Case managers provide continuous support, ensuring that both volunteers and those they support feel empowered and connected. You will communicate directly with your Case Manager, offering updates & any concerns or questions, and of course, celebrating successes!
7. Deep Connections, and Defining Success... We meet people where they are, in goals, in attitude, in their need for connection or for time to build trust. That's why our first match "milestone" is Building RAPPORT. For many children and youth who have experienced trauma, trust has been broken over and over. When you join the Cleveland Angels team of volunteers, you join hands with us to walk alongside these kids with love and non-judgement, to make clear through consistency of your caring presence that they are worth your time, just because they are themselves. This is how healing begins, and then positive steps toward their future can begin.

These matches wouldn't be possible without the dedication of our team and the incredible generosity of supporters like you. THANK YOU for being a crucial part of this community for youth who need you, and for making a difference in the lives of foster and kinship families in Cleveland!

Let's continue to spread love , support, and joy – one match at a time! 🌟

Happy New Year from all of us at Cleveland Angels!

We are bursting with smiles here. Not only are 6 matches in the works, but thanks to some excited & generous community partners, 80 families throughout greater Cleveland were provided holiday baskets to share and enjoy at the end of 2023! Really wonderful. But as the new year rang in, and the sparkle of the holidays was fading, we came back ready for all that's next; because after all, there are more children & youth coming into foster care each day.

And so, we are starting fresh once again, and thanking our first partner of the new year, TRG Multimedia for supplying us with comfort & hygiene items!! It's truly a beautiful thing to see how much this Cleveland community cares about making sure that these youth feel seen & valued.

So how does supporting Cleveland Angels in this way work?

First, TRG reached out to see how they could help. Carefully following the lists that we gave them, they collected hygiene items, snacks, journals, pens and other small gifts. These supplies will be used week in, week out by our Case Managers -- as they visit and check in on the families and youth that we support. Journals and fidget spinners appear to be this years favorites, as well as coloring books and small snacks like gum and chips. For youth, being offered a gift that was chosen specifically for you can be so meaningful. It's one way that we can show youth that we care about their needs and wants, and that we are only coming into their lives with love & good intention. Whether the need is a squish-mallow for a child who wants something to snuggle, books & snacks for a youth to keep in their room in a group home, or more practical essentials for a family who has grown overnight from taking in the children of relatives (as just a few examples), these items can be both a comfort and a conduit to connection.

Having supplies like these in place for our staff to choose from for each individual they are visiting makes the Case Managers' day run much more smoothly, and allows them to focus on the most important thing that we do -- building relationships!! We are very grateful to TRG Multimedia for supporting our Programs team and enabling us to consistently deliver on our mission of intentional giving!

We have a number of other initiatives throughout the year where we welcome donations such as these. Contact [email protected] for more information, and Happy 2024!

Five years ago our founding board traveled to Austin, Texas to gain a deeper understanding of the programs and business model of National Angels. They returned to Cleveland to launch Cleveland Angels and began the journey to reach and serve every child and youth experiencing foster care in Greater Cleveland.

When this team began the process to found Cleveland Angels, they did so because they knew every child and youth deserved to have someone cheering them on and empowering them to reach their fullest potential. They also believed the families who said yes to fostering deserved to have caring community members walk alongside them on their journey to enable them to continue saying yes to our kids who desperately need their consistent love and support.

Over the past five years we have gained a deeper understanding of the foster care community and what role we can play in helping to strengthen support. We have also learned more about the devastating statistics our youth in care face if they age out without consistent, caring role models and support. This fuels us to push harder and passionately pursue these deserving youth because we KNOW that together we can change the experience of foster care and the statistics our kids are facing.

For National Women's History month we would like to honor the women who made this mission possible. We are grateful to our founder, Susan Ramirez, for her vision, passion and dedication to found National Angels. The ripples she has created will be felt for years to come! Thank you to our founding board members for their dedication and commitment to serving children and youth in our community. They helped start this movement in Cleveland and we are energized by the momentum we have gained!

Thank you to each and every volunteer, partner and investor who believes what we believe...that everyone can do something to impact the life of a child. We cannot wait to see what the next five years will bring!

Come celebrate this important milestone with us on April 21st at the Foster the Future fundraiser and be a part of fostering the future for youth in the years to come! Click below for more information.