Please read, then watch the video below if you have 6 minutes to spare.
UPDATE- there is a URL to the video below for FF users who can't see the embeded video

I am a Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) to a foster child. I can't discuss her case because it is confidential but I can tell you a little bit about what it means to be a foster child. It means that you have no ground under your feet. It means that if your 'parents' decide that your behavior isn't to their liking, they really can "send you back". It means you have no one watching your back because everyone is just trying to survive and you just aren't that important to the people you live with. It means that when you go to bed at night you don't know if tomorrow will be another day when a social worker shows up to pack your stuff and move you elsewhere - again. It means you have no educational, medical or spritual advocate. It means you have no real family and no one who is making it their business to teach you how to get along in the world. When you turn 18 you are suddenly on your own with no one to help you or guide you.

Being a CASA gives a child in this situation a small foundation - a person he or she can count on and some assurance that someone cares. It is, second to raising my own children, the most rewarding and satisfying thing I have ever done. It takes time. Every other Sunday afternoon belongs to this child (my choice, there are no mandatory requirements for visits). There are court dates and case review, continuing education and time on the phone with teachers, therapists, attorneys and social workers. It's a small price for me to pay in order for her to have a footing on something that is a little closer to solid ground than to quicksand and to provide her with a life long mentor - the person most of us call Mom or Dad.

If you are not currently raising small children, if you have some time and you want to do something bigger than yourself for someone other than yourself please look into becoming a CASA by clicking here and finding your local organization or clicking on the National CASA site. It is one of the better ways to make the world safer, stronger and richer one person at a time. Make that two people at a time. Your world will be richer, too.

The video below will give you more insight.
(video link for FF users http://www.nationalcasa.org/movies/lifelong.wmv )