Advantage Trailer is proud to support SOS Children’s Villages Illinois, an innovative foster care model that gives children the opportunity to live in a nurturing, stable, single-family home with their brothers and sisters in the care of a full-time, professionally trained foster parent in one of four Chicago-area villages.

April is Child Abuse Prevention Month and May is Foster Care Awareness Month, and during this time we ask you to join us in providing hope and support to local children who need it the most.

How you can help

Here are some important dates and ways that you can get involved to help create awareness via social media. In the words of SOS Illinois CEO Tim McCormick, “It is only with your words that we are able to tell our story, and it is only with your love that we are able to transform lives.”

Friday, April 5 – Wear Blue Day

What you can do: Post a photo of you, your family, or your office wearing blue on social media and use the hashtag #WearingBlueForSOSIllinois.

Wednesday, April 10 – National Siblings Day

What you can do: Share a story or photo about your siblings on social media and tag #SuperSiblings.

Did you know: Up to 75% of siblings are separated in foster care. At SOS, siblings are kept together to preserve familial bonds and help safeguard children from further trauma.

Sunday, April 28 – National Superhero Day

What you can do: Share a story or photo about your siblings on social media and tag #RaisingSuperheroes.

Did you know: SOS Illinois boasts a 100% high school graduation rate since its inception 25 years ago. The national average in the foster care system is around 50%.

You can write letters, cards, and pictures to the superheroes in the SOS Illinois villages, letting them know that you are here to support them, empower them, and encourage them to reach their goals. These can be mailed to SOS Children’s Villages Illinois, 216 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 925, Chicago, IL 60606.

Wednesday, May 1 – Dining & Conversation

What you can do: Join the conversation around this SOS-hosted event featuring Academy Award wining actor Christian Bale, Academy Award winning director and screenwriter Adam McKay, best-selling author and screenwriter Gillian Flynn, and more. Follow the hashtag #Voices4FosterCare to lend your voice to the online conversation.

Saturday, May 11 – Birth Mother’s Day

What you can do: Help show support for biological moms by posting stories about your mom with the hashtag #BirthMothersDay.

Sunday, May 12 – Mother’s Day

What you can do: Share SOS Illinois’ special stories of their foster moms via social media. Click the links below to follow SOS Illinois.

You can also write letters of encouragement and support to the foster mothers who dedicate every minute of their time to improving the lives of their foster children. Perhaps you can even include a Starbucks or Dunkin Donuts gift card as a thank you for their service. These can be mailed to SOS Children’s Villages Illinois, 216 W. Jackson Blvd., Suite 925, Chicago, IL 60606.

Follow SOS Children’s Villages Illinois on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and Instagram to spread the word by liking, sharing, and retweeting their posts.

If you would like to volunteer at an SOS Illinois event or would like more information, please reach out to Justin@advantagetrailer.com.

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SOS Children’s Villages Illinois was founded in Lockport, Ill. in 1993 and is the first self-funded SOS organization in the United States. Today, the organization operates an 18-home village in Lockport, a 19-home village in Chicago’s Auburn Gresham/Englewood neighborhood, a 14-home village in Chicago’s Roosevelt Square Community, and Casa Tepeyac, a preventative and in-home family services facility in Chicago’s Back of the Yards neighborhood.

The SOS Illinois model differs from traditional foster care in emphasizing the following four components:

1. Children live together with their siblings

2. Children receive care and support from a full-time, professionally trained foster parent

3. Children grow up in a private, single-family home

4. Children are supported by the village, designed as an intentional community of care

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Join Advantage Trailer in supporting child abuse prevention and foster care awareness