Championing kids in foster care

Through its Ready for School initiative, Raymond James partners with 11 local nonprofits, among them, Hero to a Child, an organization dedicated to helping foster children in Pinellas and Pasco counties feel safe and supported as their families work toward reunification.

Formerly known as the Guardian ad Litem Foundation, Hero to a Child works closely with court-appointed guardians ad litem, which are individuals who represent a child’s best interests in family court. These guardians act as neutral investigators and advocates for children going through the dependency system.

What began as a resource for guardians at litem has since expanded to support other child advocates, like foster parents and other caregivers, ensuring they have access to essential resources and assistance. The overarching mission remains the same: to provide a sense of normalcy to children during an incredibly difficult time.

Years of support

A long-standing relationship exists between Raymond James and Hero to a Child. The partnership began years ago with the firm supporting the nonprofit’s initiative to provide holiday gifts to children in their care every year. Chief Information Officer, Raymond James, and board member of Hero to a Child, Andy Zolper, shared how he’s seen the involvement grow: “The first year we had 30 children, and the next year 60, and then 90. Eventually we could no longer fit all the gifts under the tree on our department’s floor because we were sponsoring so many children.”

Now called the Holiday Gift Workshop, this event spans two days and takes over an entire floor of the Raymond James offices. Advisors and associates not only donate money and gifts ahead of the event, but they volunteer and help create holiday magic for children in need. Executive Director of Hero a Child, Erin Authier-Lohr, explained, “We bring in hundreds of kids and their families to shop the Holiday Gift Workshop. Raymond James staff volunteer and act as shopping helpers and elves for the kids. They spend time with the foster families and caregivers, and do holiday crafts with the kids while parents are shopping. They have been an incredible partner to us over the years.” And this is only a part of the partnership.

For several years, Raymond James designated its support of Hero to a Child to its annual backpack drive to ensure children were ready for school. The firm provided the funds to purchase backpacks and other school supplies, so guardians ad litem, case workers and foster parents knew their students could enter the classroom with confidence and focus on learning.

Strengthening the mission

The Ready for School initiative has allowed Raymond James to amplify its charitable giving and community impact efforts by awarding Hero to a Child a multiyear grant. The funding is helping sustain the organization’s daily mission, which allows guardians ad litem and other representatives of foster children to come to them as a resource for anything their child needs. They can make requests to the nonprofit to help provide resources to a child as they face tough times, and requests can range from providing dance lessons or tutoring for a child to buying school uniforms or new shoes. Authier-Lohr explains, “We very rarely say no because we want to do everything that we can to help our kids.”

The flexibility in the support Raymond James provided not only gave Hero to a Child the ability to grant a range of requests for children, but they were able to build an office and fully stock a resource closet with food, personal care items and other necessities. “We are completely funded by the public through individuals, corporations and foundations who have a heart to change the lives of children in foster care and who have decided to trust us to lead that mission for them,” Authier-Lohr says, gratefully. “Raymond James has been a huge partner of ours for years and it continues to grow. They’ve made such an impact on us.”

Because of the visibility of Hero to a Child within Raymond James, several associates have become guardians ad litem themselves. Zolper says that was his hope from the start. He and his wife, both guardians ad litem, share their experiences with Raymond James advisors and associates through lunch-and-learn sessions and community panels. He describes it as a meaningful volunteer opportunity: “We have thousands of children in our community who have been subject to abuse and neglect, and we can help them. So, I’m so thankful Raymond James has programs like Ready for School. And I’m thankful for the individuals at the company who volunteer their time – because money is one thing, but having people involved is really powerful.”