Fostering Child Happiness Foundation, Inc.

06/25/2026

2026 STUFF THE BACKPACK SCHOOL SUPPLY DRIVE

Fostering Child Happiness Foundation, Inc., a non profit located in Villa Park, supports youth in care and foster families in DuPage and surrounding counties. We are currently collecting backpacks and school supplies for over 200 foster children during our 8th annual Stuff the Backpack Drive. It is our goal to help foster children feel a sense of normalcy (having all the supplies they need and a new backpack) for the first day of school! Below is an Amazon wish list with all the items needed so we can fill all 200 backpacks! Backpacks and school supplies will be delivered to the families we serve the first week of August. Please feel free to share!

06/12/2026

SCHOOL SUPPLY AND BACKPACK DRIVE 2026
Need help with school supplies for the upcoming school year? Fostering Child Happiness Foundation is holding our 7th Annual "Stuff the Backpack!" Click https://forms.gle/99rqMHpgRF5PFUo78 to sign your kiddos up. Backpacks will be filled with all the supplies from your child's school supply list and ready for pickup August 10-12. Backpack pick up will be in Villa Park.

06/12/2026

FREE SUMMER CAMP EXPERIENCE FOR YOUTH IN CARE, YOUTH ADOPTED FROM CARE, YOUTH FORMALLY IN CARE AND FOSTER FAMILIES!
Overnight summer camp provides many outstanding benefits to children including developing relationships and connections with others, exploring individual interests, confidence building, teaches teamwork, includes physical activity and mental stimulation and helps to offer a sense of greater purpose. All children should have the opportunity to go to summer camp, however an overnight summer camp can be a bit tricky and sometimes difficult for youth in care. Being away from home and their support system, as well as missing visitations and other appointments means overnight camps are not always an option.
The Rotary Club of Elmhurst has partnered with Fostering Child Happiness and YMCA CAMP DUNCAN in Ingelside, Illinois to offer a unique camp experience for youth in care, youth adopted from care, former youth in care and foster families to allow kids to experience all the benefits that overnight camp offers- without staying overnight! This single day camp adventure will occur July 25th and will give kids ages 6-17 the chance to experience a fun and adventurous day at YMCA CAMP DUNCAN. There is no cost to you for this event. Rotary Club Elmhurst and Fostering Child Happiness Foundation will cover all costs.
Campers will depart from Elmhurst at approximately 7:30 am via a private bus and arrive at Camp Duncan by 9 am to participate in the full camp experience including activities such as a ropes course, climbing tower, arts and crafts, hikes, interaction with creepy crawlers and MORE! Campers will be broken down into groups by age. YMCA Camp Duncan staff, Fostering Child Happiness Foundation staff and Rotary members will facilitate camp activities and ensure that each camper has a fun and memorable day! At the end of the camp day, we will return to Elmhurst for pick up at approximately 6:30 pm.
While parent attendance is not necessary, parents are free to attend camp as well to accompany their camper and support the initiatives.
To secure a spot for your child, please complete the form below.

The Rotary Club of Elmhurst has partnered with Fostering Child Happiness and YMCA CAMP DUNCAN in Ingelside, Illinois to offer a unique camp experience for youth in care, youth adopted from care, former youth in care and foster families to allow kids to experience all the benefits that overnight camp...

05/31/2026

A huge thank you to Franny Melonides of Western Springs for her incredible dedication and generosity!

Franny, an Eagle Scout with Troop 216, chose to support the Fostering Child Happiness Foundation Foster Closet through her Eagle Scout Service Project. She organized and led a community-wide clothing drive, created a GoFundMe fundraiser, set up an Amazon Wish List, and coordinated donation drop-off locations to collect new socks, clothing, stuffed animals, blankets, underwear, and pajamas.

With the help of her fellow Scouts and generous community members, Franny collected and delivered hundreds of much-needed items to the Fostering Child Happiness Foundation. These donations will be distributed to children ages newborns through teens who are entering foster care, helping make a difficult transition a little more comfortable and providing them with a sense of care and support.

Thank you, Franny, for your leadership, compassion, and commitment to making a difference in the lives of children in foster care. We are so grateful for your hard work and the positive impact you've made in our community!

05/07/2026

FREE SUMMER CAMP EXPERIENCE FOR YOUTH IN CARE, YOUTH ADOPTED FROM CARE, YOUTH FORMALLY IN CARE AND FOSTER FAMILIES!

Overnight summer camp provides many outstanding benefits to children including developing relationships and connections with others, exploring individual interests, confidence building, teaches teamwork, includes physical activity and mental stimulation and helps to offer a sense of greater purpose. All children should have the opportunity to go to summer camp, however an overnight summer camp can be a bit tricky and sometimes difficult for youth in care. Being away from home and their support system, as well as missing visitations and other appointments means overnight camps are not always an option.
The Rotary Club of Elmhurst has partnered with Fostering Child Happiness and YMCA CAMP DUNCAN in Ingelside, Illinois to offer a unique camp experience for youth in care, youth adopted from care, former youth in care and foster families to allow kids to experience all the benefits that overnight camp offers- without staying overnight! This single day camp adventure will occur July 25th and will give kids ages 6-17 the chance to experience a fun and adventurous day at YMCA CAMP DUNCAN. There is no cost to you for this event. Rotary Club Elmhurst and Fostering Child Happiness Foundation will cover all costs.
Campers will depart from Elmhurst at approximately 7:30 am via a private bus and arrive at Camp Duncan by 9 am to participate in the full camp experience including activities such as a ropes course, climbing tower, arts and crafts, hikes, interaction with creepy crawlers and MORE! Campers will be broken down into groups by age. YMCA Camp Duncan staff, Fostering Child Happiness Foundation staff and Rotary members will facilitate camp activities and ensure that each camper has a fun and memorable day! At the end of the camp day, we will return to Elmhurst for pick up at approximately 6:30 pm.
While parent attendance is not necessary, parents are free to attend camp as well to accompany their camper and support the initiatives.
To secure a spot for your child, please complete the form below.

The Rotary Club of Elmhurst has partnered with Fostering Child Happiness and YMCA CAMP DUNCAN in Ingelside, Illinois to offer a unique camp experience for youth in care, youth adopted from care, former youth in care and foster families to allow kids to experience all the benefits that overnight camp...

05/01/2026

May marks the beginning of Foster Care Awareness Month, and there are around 331,000+ kids in foster care, with around 70,000 of those waiting for an adoptive family in the United States.

This means that adoption is their only path to a permanent family.
What can you do?
➡️ consider fostering
➡️ donate to our organization
➡️ share our posts on social media

This Foster Care Awareness Month, we invite you to be part of the solution. Whether you foster, adopt, support a family, advocate, or give, you can help change a child’s story.
Because every child deserves belonging. 💙

05/01/2026

We’re incredibly grateful for the generous $2,000 grant from Vanguard Charitable, awarded to Fostering Child Happiness Foundation at the recommendation of Robert and Rebecca Villiard.

Your support helps us continue our mission of uplifting youth in care and empowering foster families in our local communities. Thank you for making a meaningful difference!

04/29/2026

Thank you Nordstrom Cares Team! This generous grant will allow us to continue to serve more youth in care and foster families in our local communities!

Congratulations! Your grant request for Fostering Child Happiness Foundation (supporting youth in care and foster families in DuPage and surrounding counties) has been approved for $5,000.00.

Nordstrom Cares Team

Send a message to learn more

04/07/2026

Thank you to everyone who helped bring joy to children in foster care this Easter. The children and families we support truly appreciated the care, thoughtfulness, and personal touches that went into each unique Easter basket. We were able to provide personalized baskets to 200 children in care because of your big hearts and generosity! (picture posted with permission)