LITTLE MISS ELLIE ASLEEP FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME IN HER VERY FIRST BED EVER!!!! Nationwide, over 2.8 children don’t have a bed to sleep in. Instead, they sleep on the floor or a couch or a chair. This is referred to as “bed poverty” and child “bedlessness” is now a recognized national crisis. “Bed Poverty” leads to poor sleep that results in anxiety. depression, physical growth challenges and learning struggles. Causes range from poverty, homelessness, parents struggle to provide for their kids because of alcohol and drug dependency. A huge percentage of these kids are ending up in foster care and kinship care but, a judge cannot sign off for a child to be placed in foster care of kinship care home without a bed available and this can be a huge financial strain on caregivers. Thank you, VF donors, for standing in this resource gap so kids like Ellie can live in a safe home and sleep in a comfortable bed! varnerfoundation.org

It’s SCARY being a little boy alone in foster care but it’s TERRIFYING to be a little boy almost completely deaf and alone in foster care! Everything is so new, confusing, and hard to understand….so much doesn’t make sense. It takes really special foster parents to navigate this challenge on top of the mistreatment he had lived with. Working hard with doctors and working though mountains of paperwork, his superhero caregivers were able to recently get him fitted with copular implants but, that was just the beginning of getting this little guy on track to heal. Once again, because of our donors, the VF was able to help fund some of those transitional needs between this little guy’s silent world and the world of sound and all its wonder. Thank you! varnerfoundation.org

Heartbreaking Abuse! … The way things were heading, this pre-teen sister and brother didn’t stand a chance! Their story on the grant application was so hard to read and brought every member of our Grant Review Committee to tears. Each child was born with multiple challenges that affected their ability to learn, speak and write. After entering foster care several years ago, they were placed with a family who decided to adopt them and promised to help them learn, grow and heal. Everyone was ecstatic … case closed. Tragically, a couple of years later, the adoptive parents were charged with multiple crimes against children including torturous abuse and neglect. Thankfully, these two children are now in a stable warm and loving home but are yet again, faced with a long, long hard road to heal, to trust, and to strive to have some sort of a "normal life". The red tape and help from government agencies never move very quickly and these children and their new foster parents needed immediate support, in a variety of ways, and not months from now. THIS IS where the VF donors made the ALL the difference! The sweet siblings are now getting targeted, impactful help….and their healing journey has finally begun! varnerfoundation.org

"I was SO frustrated and ready to give up when another case worker said: Call the Varner Foundation”. The caseworker's client was a grandmother living in affordable housing and now raising her two small grandchildren. She devoted countless hours to driving her grandchildren to therapy & doctor appointments to support their recovery from prior abuse. One day, a fight broke out in the parking lot of her building, gunfire destroyed her car's windshield & side window. Her basic insurance would not cover the damage and the police’s resources couldn’t either. Everywhere she turned for help said “No, we don’t fund that sort of thing.” Public transportation with small children with challenges in the cold of winter was just not doable. Once again, the VF’s donors answered the call for a special little family in our community. When it’s a REAL need and others have said “No” the Varner Foundation says “Yes, we will help you.” varnerfoundation.org #HereToHelp #helpingothers #community #thankyouforyoursupport

Success in 2024.....can't wait until 2025!!! Thank you to our donors and supporters!! facebook.com/share/r/18Tc2bu… varnerfoundation.org

This January 23rd, the VF officially begins its 6th year standing in the resource gap for children in Foster Care and Kindship Care. Over the years it’s been our dedicated volunteers and generous donors that allow us to do what we do, and we are surrounded by the best! It’s also our Founders and Board of Directors that work countless hours on grant requests and community engagements that make the VF so impactful … helping hundreds of struggling children and families every year! Thank you to Laura Calhoun, Brent Kohlhepp, Cooke, Evangeline DeVol, and of course Dan Varner. varnerfoundation.org #thankyouforyoursupport #kids