Press Room

Our local Walmart stores have always been a part of the SOS Village Family. Giving back to their community is important to so many of their staff and managers. Over the years, they have donated their time and dollars to help our boys and girls. While our Village has always counted on the generosity of the stores, we are proud to welcome the Walmart Foundation back into our Village Circle.

This summer, the Walmart state grant foundation presented SOS with a $50,000 check to help continue services to our children. The contribution is the largest single corporate donation the Village has received this year.

"Community support is very important," SOS Chief Development Officer Debbie Levine said. "Many corporations are looking for give and take and marketing. Walmart is more of a community corporation...They want to make an impact in the community where their employees live and work."

Our Village depends upon donations and grants for more than half of our annual budget, so contributions like Walmart’s are key to helping our children overcome their past, enjoy the present, and build a brighter future.

Picture above (left to right): Charles Gibson, past-resident of SOS; Ron Hollander, Walmart State Grant Foundation Advisory Council; and Jeff Zirulnick, SOS Chief Executive Officer.

SOS Shares Home & HeArt for Foster Children

Boca Raton, FL – For a foster child, finding a place to settle and call home is a gift. Finding a place that teaches them to express themselves, be creative, and thrive is truly special. Both were the theme this year for friends of SOS Children’s Villages – Florida as they celebrated childhood at their annual Gala.

This year’s celebration recognized the home and family that SOS provides to the seventy-five foster children who are living at the Village. The evening also was an exhibition of the children’s creativity as their own works of art completed during art lessons at the Village were proudly displayed for guests and the children’s chorus had the chance to shine as they performed their rendition of “We Are the World” for guests. Each work of art and each note sang resonated the joy and the thanks that the children feel for the gifts that Village friends and donors provide.

Jordin Sparks Inspires SOS Foster Kids

February 6, 2010 -The boys and girls of SOS Children’s Villages – Florida received a special treat Super Bowl weekend when Pop Sensation and American Idol Season 6 Winner Jordin Sparks stopped by for a visit.

Many of the boys and girls growing up at SOS Florida have a special place in their hearts for Jordin. The children who lived in the Village before 2007 were not just rooting for their favorite Idol contestant that fateful evening when Jordin won. That evening was also a family triumph because Margie Bruszer, the SOS CEO at the time, is cousins with Jordin’s grandmother. The whirlwind win left the kids in the Village proud and inspired. But they never dreamed they would have a chance for a personal visit with the rising star.

With a great love for children, down-to-earth Jordin immediately became an SOS advocate and through her own charitable organization, Sparks Charities, began to give back to kids in need. It was her annual Super Bowl Experience that brought her to Miami this past month and finally gave her the opportunity to visit SOS.

“Our entire SOS family was thrilled by the chance to share Jordin’s Super Bowl Experience and welcome her into our homes,” stated current SOS Chief Executive Officer Jeffrey Zirulnick. “Our kids were excited to learn she was coming, but to see her arrive with her friends and staff for a simple visit with our families was a priceless memory for everyone.”

Some of the SOS children had the chance to see Jordin briefly when they were invited to her Sparkstown Teddy Bear Picnic in Miami and they heralded her arrival at SOS with cheering, shouts of joy, and a homemade banner. However, it is the time she spent sharing her stories and life while she spoke, the intimate moments each SOS home had with her during a personal photo session, and her gift of teddy bears that touched their hearts.

While visiting Jordin made sure to share her new M.A.D. campaign with the kids. M.A.D. stands for “Making A Difference” and the goal is to encourage others, young and old, to get mad and funnel that energy into making a difference in their communities, families, and world by just doing something. The foster children at SOS experience first-hand how someone who is M.A.D. can change a life. The support and gifts that they receive from the community and friends like Jordin inspire many of them to make a difference in their own way by volunteering.

For more information about Jordin's M.A.D. program visit her M.A.D. Facebook page.

Photos of Jordin's Visit

To see more pictures from Jordin's visit go to our photo gallery

Jolie, Pitt donate $100K to US Villages

SOS Children's Villages - USA today announced a gift of $100,000 from Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt to support its two American SOS Children's Villages for Christmas.

SOS-Florida and SOS-Illinois were founded over fifteen years ago to provide an alternative form of foster care in the US - that puts an end to multiple placements, separation from siblings, physical and sexual abuse or neglect and abandonment.

Ms. Jolie said of the donation, "We have seen first-hand the remarkable job SOS does to raise orphaned and abandoned children and keep families together. No one "ages out" of an SOS Village: vocational training, advanced education, living assistance and moral support are there forever."

SOS Children's Villages - USA CEO Heather Paul stated, "The Jolie - Pitt Foundation has been a strong and loyal supporter of SOS Children's Villages around the world. We are deeply grateful that this year this couple has included in their generosity our villages in Illinois and Florida and our 300 children who call SOS 'home.'"

Brad Pitt: "In this holiday season, many of us take for granted that we are surrounded by loving family members. The poor outcomes for foster children indicate that we must do a much better job of supporting them."

SOS Volunteers Light Up the Village

Each December, neighbors and friends who support SOS Children’s Villages – Florida come together one last time to create a beautiful holiday gift for the 75 boys and girls calling the Village home. They literally “Light Up the Village” for the holidays.