Embrace Alabama Kids Week raises awareness, support for vulnerable children, families

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - Monday kicks off Embrace Alabama Kids Week, a week to support and raise awareness about our state’s vulnerable children and at-risk families.

Each year, more than 28,000 incidents of child abuse and neglect are reported in Alabama, according to Embrace Alabama’s Kids. With teachers and educators often being the primary source of reports, those numbers tend to rise as school starts each year.

Embrace Alabama Kids is a statewide nonprofit ministry that serves vulnerable children, youth, and families through foster care, adoption services, family preservation, higher education, and school readiness programs. It operates around the state to provide programs and services that embrace children in foster care and families in crisis. Things like homes for babies, foster children transitioning into adulthood, college students who need a little more support, and families - specifically mothers and their children - who need a place to call home.

To rally supporters this week, Embrace Alabama Kids is launching a yard sign campaign, asking many of our supporters to place signs in their yards to encourage friends and neighbors to Embrace Alabama Kids. The signs are colored and painted by our kids, staff, and supporters.

This is the second year for Embrace Alabama Kids Week. Last year, kids, staff, and supporters painted the state’s first traveling mural, which consisted of multiple panels painted in various parts of the state. Embrace Alabama Kids also commissioned a permanent mural painted by local artists in Montgomery. It’s located on the Kyser Building on Clay Street in downtown Montgomery.

Embrace Alabama Kids believes EVERYONE can do SOMETHING, whether it’s learning more about the kids the ministry serves, praying for the ministry, becoming a foster parent, or making a financial contribution.

Specifically, in regards to foster care, it’s hosting a foster care program in South Alabama extending from Monroeville to Dothan. An interest meeting will be held via Zoom on August 10 at 9:30 am.

Visit LetsEmbraceKids.org to sign up.

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