05/01/2026
🗣️ Foster care is not simply "someone else’s issue." It’s a community responsibility.
Today marks the beginning of National Foster Care Month.
For me, this isn’t just awareness. It’s deeply personal.
My story didn’t start in a boardroom or a campaign. It started in a system that shaped my childhood, my family, and ultimately my purpose. As I share in my story linked below, this work is rooted in lived experience - generations touched by foster care, and a determination to break cycles and build something better.
It is my honor to lead FosterStrong and turn that lived expertise into impact. Our team has both lived and professional experience in the child-serving systems. We are creating and spotlighting resources, building community, and pushing for real change so young people don’t just survive the system, but thrive beyond it.
This month - and every month - I invite you to be part of that work.
Here are a few ways to get involved:
• Follow FosterStrong and view our hub of national resources- https://linktr.ee/FosterStrong
• LISTEN & LEARN... Center the voices of youth and alumni with lived experience.
• Advocate... Support policies and practices that strengthen outcomes for young people
• Show up locally... Volunteer, partner, or support organizations doing the work in your community
• Consider opening your home... Foster and kinship families are critically needed
• Use your platform... Awareness leads to action when more people are paying attention
Always and with gratitude,
Constance Iannetta,
https://fosterstrong.org/from-system-involved-to-system-changer-by-constance-iannetta/
For as long as I can remember, the child welfare system has been part of my family’s story. Generations of my family have been touched by it – sometimes
