The Numbers: Hard Truths

• Over 11,000 children are in Missouri foster care (March 2025), down from recent peaks but still significantly above national norms.
• About 44% of foster children are reunited safely with their families within a year, well below the federal target of 75%.
• Children in many Missouri counties remain in foster care longer than federal standards recommend, increasing instability and developmental risk.
• The Missouri child abuse & neglect hotline received 64,497 reports between July 2023 and June 2024, reports that affected tens of thousands of children.

Domestic Violence & Children: The Invisible Wounds

Not every incident of domestic violence is reported, but Missouri regularly records tens of thousands of domestic violence incidents each year. Even when children are not the direct targets, witnessing violence leaves long-lasting psychological damage: trauma, anxiety, nightmares, difficulty concentrating, and behavior problems that follow them into adulthood. Historical law-enforcement data also documents large numbers of reported incidents statewide. Source: Missouri State Highway Patrol.

The Urgency

• Long stays in foster care mean lost opportunity, every extra day without permanency increases developmental risk.
• Each report of abuse or domestic violence marks a child at risk; many children feel silenced until crisis hits.
• Your help can accelerate permanency, fund crisis intervention, support foster families, and provide safe exits for children trapped in violent homes.

What Giving Can Do

• Fund critical services: placements, trauma therapy, legal support, mentoring, and educational help.
• Support prevention: programs that teach healthy conflict resolution, stabilize families, and reduce future risk.
• Create stability: provide foster families with the resources they need to keep children safe and help them find permanent homes.

In-Kind Gifts

If you or your organization would you like to donate any of the following iteams, AFK will make sure they find a good home:

• Office Equipment (Computers, Printers, and Furniture)
• Classroom supplies (Teacher Supples or educations supplies)
• Advertising/Marketing Support
• Gift Cards or Vouchers

Volunteer

Sign up to Volunteer in the community or for a fundraising event like OzCon or OzFaire.

Gifts of Assets

• Stocks and Securities (Direct Transfers, donor-advised funds)
• Real Estate (property donations, partial gifts, or use of land/building
• Equipment or Vehicles (Cars, Vans, boats, RVs, etc)

What Giving Can Do

• Bequests in wills or trusts
• Life insurance policies
• Retirement account beneficiary designations