Preparing Youth in Foster Care for a Successful Start at Their New Schools With the Maximus Foundation

Citizens Caring for Children provides resources and necessities to children living in foster care in Oklahoma. Through services and programs like the Resource Center, Back2School, and Joy4Kids, they help meet the needs of 1,800 children in foster care each year to give them the tools needed to build a brighter tomorrow.

In 1984, Citizens Caring for Children began by a local foster family who recognized first-hand the need for clothing and resources for children in foster care. With a majority of the children coming to them from abused and neglected homes, many had to leave all their personal belongings behind, leaving them with little to nothing. The foster family knew more had to be done to help these children so they could begin to experience a semblance of normalcy.

With a mission to help children and young adults build a brighter future, programs such as the Back2School program provide resources and supplies to children in foster care starting at a new school. Back2School pairs each child with a personal shopper to help them choose the perfect back-to-school outfit, backpack, and various school supplies to ease their transition into a new school and environment, as many children must change schools when they enter foster care.

The Maximus Foundation is proud to provide grant funding for Back2School, which purchased shoes, clothing, and backpacks for more than 670 children during this year’s event. The grant helped provide a variety of clothing styles for students in the middle school and high school age range—which is an important part of each student’s identity and is critical to feeling confident and comfortable in their clothing. The grant helped Citizens Caring for Children to shop before the event and take advantage of volume discounts on jeans, shoes, and backpacks for these students.

For the more than 6,500 Oklahoma children in foster care today, basic needs such as clothing, shoes, and a backpack are also their greatest wants. Learn more about Citizens Caring for Children and how you can support children in foster care through the Back2School program and other impactful programs by visiting cccokc.org.

Giving back to the communities we serve

The Maximus Foundation is one of the ways Maximus employees are doing something greater together. Established by the Maximus Board of Directors in 2000, the Maximus Foundation is an independent, employee-led, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Employee donors pool their charitable contributions together through the Foundation, double their impact on the grantmaking program through Maximus’ dollar-for-dollar matching pledge, and make their voices heard by nominating and voting for future grantee partners. Though the Foundation focuses its giving strategy on grantmaking, it also helps coordinate corporate-wide humanitarian efforts and empowers employees to donate their time and skills to nonprofits. Their inspired giving and volunteerism help accelerate the missions of nonprofits on the frontlines of the communities we serve. Learn more at maximus.com/foundation.