“We have a real crisis here in Texas,” stated Monica Burcham, Gala Chair for A World for Children, “and we’re asking members of the community to support neglected and abused children here in our own neighborhoods.”
Since January of this year, approximately 500 children in Texas had to sleep in CPS offices, and CPS has experienced a 45% increase in foster children needing care since 2001. Currently in Texas, 80% of all foster care placements are made by private agencies including A World for Children, and the gala is another way the organization hopes to raise funds to support the children and families committed to giving them a better life.
Important statistics on child abuse and foster care:
• Nationally, over a half million children are in foster care
• In the U.S., every day 4 children die as a result of abuse and neglect
• In 2005, 212 Texas children died as a direct result of abuse and/or neglect
• Out of the 50 states, Texas ranks 8th in the nation with kids in foster care
• Every 10 seconds a child is victimized by abuse and/or neglect
• The rate of child abuse is 10 times the rate of cancer
• Nationally, in 2001, there were 903,089 substantiated cases of child abuse or neglect in the U.S.
• The number of children in the foster care system on September 30, 2001 was 542,000. Of those children 50,000 were adopted - leaving 126,000 waiting to be adopted
“We want to give children a chance that weren’t born with one,” states Burcham. “We’
To purchase individual Darkness to Light Gala tickets or to inquire about table sponsorship, please visit www.darknesstolightgala.com. To learn more about A World for Children, please visit www.awfc.org.
