When Ali Caliendo launched Foster Kinship in 2011, she knew she wanted her nonprofit to meet a real need.
“Children really need their family,” she said. Caliendo witnessed the importance of continued family connection directly through her experience as a foster parent, adoptive parent, and kinship caregiver. This led her to start Foster Kinship, an organization that raises awareness and support for kinship care.
“It’s all about children’s needs,” she said. “Kids need to know where they come from. Family tends to alleviate a little bit of the additional trauma that can come from children experiencing foster care. [With kinship care] kids are more likely to stay with their siblings and kinship families are often able to affirm and maintain community connections and family connection for kids.”