Voices of Foster Youth
October is foster youth voice month and SOS Children Villages Florida is joining Selfless Love Foundation to let everyone know that their voices matter. By using their voices effectively, foster youth create a powerful tool to share their perspective which can impact change. These four young adults whose lives have been a part of the […]
Meet Development’s Dynamic Duo
The work of the development team is what makes delivering our mission possible. While Kelly and Connie are also highly valued members of the team, when the rubber hits the road and the money needs to come in – two ladies lead the way. SOS has an annual operating budget of $4.2 million dollars of […]
I Fought Hard For My Kids…
Meet Sagrario Rodrigues of Dominican and Puerto Rican parents from the Bronx, NY, who became pregnant with her first of 8 children at age 16. She married the father of all her children when she was 19 and went on to suffer years of horrific domestic violence. In 2019 her life came tumbling down as […]
The Role of Case Managers In Family Reunions
“The trust, support, and relationship that a Case Manager establishes with a child and their family is pivotal in the reunification process” – Valerie When children enter foster care it can be a long and arduous process to get them reunited with their parents. This is where the support of our SOS Case Managers come […]
Back To School
DID YOU KNOW? In addition to our children living at the Village, our NEXT STEPS program supports 150 young adults in the community who have aged out of foster care, many of whom will either begin or continue with their education. This can be a difficult time and we work closely with each person in […]
Celebrating 25 Years
Jillian Smath, MSW SOS Children’s Villages Florida CEO Jillian Smath began hercareer at SOS in 1997 as a Case Manager, and for the past twenty-five years she has been an advocate for the needs of children in foster care and has made her mark by working to provide them with a loving and caring environment […]
Summer Fun For SOS Children!
THIS TIME OF YEAR, we find ourselves enjoying the lingering days of summer as we trek to new and familiar places to kick back the pace from the rest of the year, and build memories of a lifetime.At SOS, through several community partnerships, our children experience quintessential summertime rites of passage, and lots of fun! […]
SOS Children’s Villages Celebrates Pride Month
LGBTQ+ youth enter the foster care system for many of the same reasons as non-LGBTQ+ youth, such as abuse, neglect, or parental substance abuse. However, they have the additional layer of trauma associated with being rejected or mistreated because of sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression. In some instances, coming out has led to […]
SOS Children’s Villages Florida 2021 Programs Operations Report
ADM ISSIONS/DISCHARGES: There were 34 new admissions and 35 discharges. Of these, three turned 18, twenty-four were reunified with a biological parent or placed with a relative, eight were placed in a pre-adoptive home or adopted. During the year, SOS served 27 sibling groups, with the largest sibling group of 8. SOS cared for 81 […]