Cards For Cubs is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to give hope to kids and young adults in foster care while bringing awareness to the foster care system.
Every year, Bearly Art sponsors an event that EVERYONE can participate in. We work with foster care agencies across the United States to help distribute your handmade cards to kids that may feel forgotten by the world. Let’s tell them that they are loved and cherished! We are currently collecting cards.
This is our third annual #CardsForCubs event. Last year we raised over 41,500 cards and had over 1150 volunteers. This year we have a new goal...
100,000 Cards is a near impossible goal, but with your help and support we can accomplish the impossible! Help us bring awareness to these kids and join us as we put meaning behind our crafts.
Learn more about #CardsForCubs
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Sign Up Here! (Registration is now OPEN!)
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Mailing Address
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Card Guidelines
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FAQ
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Foster Care Organizations
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How Cards Move: Journey of the Cards
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Our Story in a Video
If you want to know why we put this together keep reading..
The Question...
Before we launched Bearly Art's glue, my Co-Founder and I discussed what we wanted our brand to stand for. We talked about what values the company should hold and how we should implement those values in our company and in turn, to our customers. The values we wrote were Quality Products, Giving, Family, Creativity, and Customer Centric. To this day, we still haven't erased these values written on our idea board.
The more time I talk with all of you, the more love and encouragement I find. As a whole I find that crafters are naturally caring.
If so many crafters get excited about a little bottle of glue...
“How can we use this excitement to give back to the community?”
The Kids (Cubs)...
Why Kids in Foster Care?
The values Bearly Art holds as a company is a reflection of the two co-founders. One of the co-founder's wife was a case manager who worked directly with foster kids and ensured that they are healthy and well taken care of by the foster home. They also have spent many nights talking about the horrific events some of these kids have gone through.
Children in foster care are often forgotten about and many feel that society has failed them. Despite what most people think, the average age for a child in foster care is 8 years old and will stay in care for around a year. Adoption and Foster Care Analysis and Reporting System (AFCARS) reports that 407,000+ children are currently in foster care while over 117,000+ are waiting to be adopted as of 2021.
In the U.S., 38% of the population aged 25 and older have bachelor’s or higher degrees (US Census, 2022). However, the college graduation rate is much lower among former foster youth. Studies have reported that around 40% of former foster youth enroll in college, while 72% of their peers in the general population enroll in college (Courtney, et al., 2011). Moreover, only 3%-6% of former foster youth who enroll in college graduate with bachelor’s degrees (Courtney et al., 2011; Watt et al., 2019).”
These kids have been through emotional turmoil that no child should ever experience. The top 4 reasons for children entering the Foster Care System is because of neglect, drug abuse (parent), caretakers inability to cope, or physical abuse.
These kids need hope...
Link to the report: https://www.acf.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/cb/afcarsreport28.pdf
Courtney, M. E., Dworsky, A., Brown, A. Cary, C. Love, K., & Vorhies, V. (2011). Midwest Evaluation of the Adult Functioning of Former Foster Youth: Outcomes at age 26. Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. https://www.chapinhall.org/wp-content/uploads/Midwest-Eval-Outcomes-at-Age-26.pdf
Watt, T., Faulkner, M., Bustillos, S., & Madden, E. (2019). Foster care alumni and higher education: A descriptive study of post-secondary achievements of foster youth in Texas. Child and Adolescent Social Work Journal, 36(4), 399–408.
What We Need From You…
As crafters, YOU ARE THE KEY to spreading the word and getting this event out there. We would be absolutely honored if you joined us in bringing awareness to the Foster Care Community. All we need is your willingness to spread this event using #CardsForCubs and send in a card or two! I encourage all of you to make some cards yourselves. We certainly will be!
Whether we receive 10 cards or 10,000 cards for this event, our ardent hope is that children in foster care will be blessed through these cards. We believe quantity without quality is meaningless.
Final Thoughts…
A card may not mean much to us, but it can mean the world for a child to know that someone loves them.
We can help encourage and uplift these kids.
We can give them HOPE.
HOPE for finding a home…
...and HOPE for a brighter tomorrow.
Thank you for your consideration in joining us.
Let’s change the world one card at a time.
The Cards For Cubs Team
