Right now, there are more than 9,200 kids in foster care in Missouri, each one dreaming for someone to grant his or her ultimate holiday wish – a forever home with a loving family.

While they’re waiting for their dreams to come true, we can help make their holidays a bit brighter and show them how much the community cares for them by contributing to one of the numerous gift collections in St. Louis. Here are three organizations focused on foster care to keep on your holiday gift list in the next two weeks.

This past year, the Foster & Adoptive Care Coalition served 7,834 children, families and volunteers in the metro area. And once again, they’re partnering with KSDK to help grant 3,300 Little Wishes for the children they support. Said one child who received a gift last year, “I was very happy to get the Star Wars Lego set. It’s really awesome!  Thank you for your kindness!”

Currently, the Coalition has 2,300 wishes left to grant before December 21 to ensure the gifts are delivered before the holidays. Simply visit www.littlewishes.net to choose from a variety of wishes all based on a child’s age and gender. After your purchase, you’ll receive a card in the mail which you can keep or give to a friend or family member as a gift when donating in their honor.

“When you’re a child in foster care, receiving a Little Wish during the holidays can make a world of difference,” remarked Jessi Brawley, development and community relations manager for the Coalition. “These kids are without their families during the holidays. Knowing someone is thinking about them and really cares is a feeling that every child deserves, especially this time of year. Little Wishes provide kids with childhood experiences that they may not have otherwise – such as a first bike, a night out at a hockey game, or my favorite – a Judy Blume book set!”

Family Resource Center

Each year, Family Resource Center, which is focused on preventing and treating child abuse and neglect, provides hope for 700 children through its Shop for An Angel program. This special holiday store offers shopping opportunities for foster parents and foster care case managers as well as parents who are helped by FRC’s therapeutic programs.

Noted John Heithaus, chief development officer, “In many cases, parents have to make a tradeoff between Christmas gifts or food, medicine or utility payments. Part of our goal is to allow parents to really feel good about providing a fun holiday for their children without having to put themselves more in crisis.”

Like most organizations that collect gifts for kids, FRC faces difficulties fulfilling the gift requests of teens in foster care. However, It's incredibly important to note that foster children receive only $250 per year from the state for clothing, which makes it challenging to outfit a growing teen.

That’s why, along with their requests for children’s toys, books and games for Shop for An Angel, FRC is also asking for teen-oriented gifts, such as sports-licensed clothing or cologne sets for boys and clothing, jewelry and perfume sets for girls. Both genders can also benefit from cameras, music players and books.

“When kids go in foster care, they lose everything. Many times they leave their homes with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Their CD’s, their books, their knick knacks – all those things stay behind. Gifts from the Shop for a Teen Angel allow teens to begin to reestablish a sense of identity, a sense of personal ownership, and a sense of personal worth.”

For more information, visit www.frcmo.org or call 314-534-9350.

Great Circle

One of Missouri’s largest children’s social service agencies, Great Circle serves children in need through Edgewood Children’s Center in St. Louis as well as Boys & Girls Towns throughout the state. This year, its St. Louis area toy drive will benefit more than 600 children in its residential, education and foster care programs.

Remarked Jennifer Wilson of Great Circle, “For so many of these children, these gifts are the only ones they’ll receive during the holidays. Foster care families, like many other families, are stretched thin during these troubling economic times. They are not only caring for their own families, but they may have two or three foster children. These gifts help immensely and ease the strain.”

“For the kids, it makes sure they get to enjoy the holidays just like any other child. A child in foster care has a lot of worries, including if they’ll find a forever home. One worry we don’t want them to have is wondering if Santa will find them on Christmas.”

During Great Circle’s Elves on the Run Holiday Toy Drive, you can help these kids by dropping off gifts, from development toys for toddlers to gift cards for teens, at participating Mobil on the Run locations until Thursday, December 22. You can also adopt a child’s wish list by contacting Wilson at 314-256-4903 or by email.

There may only be a few days left before the big day, but there’s still plenty of time to shop to bring a little extra joy to a special child this season.

By Nicole Plegge, Lifestyle Blogger for SmartParenting