The first time senior Jackson Jones met sixth grader Jack, the boy was timid and shy. the boy was timid and shy.
Jones started a nonprofit organization called Fostering Friendships to host events where high schoolers spend time with children who are in the foster care program.
“He was reserved and didn’t talk to anybody,” Jones said. “I just reached out and started talking to him, and soon enough, he started to open up. He started to smile more, and I could tell he was becoming happier.”
As the weeks went by, Jones and Jack played football and pickle ball together. Jones showed him card tricks and other things that they would be able to do together. Through this bonding, the boy began to open up.
“Every time we would set up an event, I’d see Jack. He would run up to me and stuff and be like, what are we gonna do today?”
Jones discovered that being a friend to foster children spending time with Jones and his team reduces anxiety, improves academics, and makes their well-being better, so he built an organization to help kids build peer-to-peer friendships like the one with Jack. Fostering Friendships creates a safe place for kids like Jack in foster care.
“I saw [how these changes helped people] and I was like well, it’s easy to build friends, but the most important part is that it has to be a peer-to-peer friendship,” Jones said.
The idea of the non-profit came to mind after Jones volunteered with the organization, Centers for Youth and Families. This place is a center for kids who are from broken families, where the kids are given room, board, and schooling. The organization tries to make life as normal as possible for kids, and so Jones’s role is to aid them by giving kids friends. There he noticed that a lot of children in foster care are institutionalized and commonly just stay at home because they have a hard time finding friends.
Jones said he got verified by the IRS as an official non-profit after a lot of dedication and research. The non-profit officially started in January. Jones even began a website and social media. He goes to Center Street and Family Project Zero, other foster organizations. These organizations are similar to what the Centers for Youth and Familes do. Jones wants to make sure that these kids have something steady in their life.
“So we set up events to build friendships. We just make friends, friends with children in foster care and build peer-to-peer friendships. The goal is to provide fun and joy, [and] bring a sense of normalcy to these kids,” said Jones.
If you are interested in being a part of Fostering Friendships, they are always welcome for volunteers to be able to help during events. More information on the club can be found on their Instagram, @fostering.friendships. The website is www.fosteringfriendship.com.
