Danielle Gletow was destined to grant wishes. After fostering and then adopting a newborn, Danielle found her life calling. A 2013 CNN Hero, Danielle has devoted herself to finding ways to help more than 400,000 children in foster care. Danielle founded One Simple Wish in 2008 with the goal of granting wishes to children in foster care across the country and those who’ve aged out of foster care. On One Simple Wish, people can view wishes from foster children and make contributions that make those wish come true. Wishes range from toys to school supplies, music lessons or trips to a theater or pool. Last year, One Simple Wish reached 20,000 youth.
In our conversation, Danielle shares the deeply personal story that led her to foster care, her experiences with the foster system and why the children in the foster system need our attention and support. If you have been thinking of ways to contribute and help others during these challenging times, One Simple Wish was started with the goal of giving people an opportunity to connect with foster kids and easily make meaningful contributions.
Danielle is asking us to go to One Simple Wish and read the stories. She says, “just by you acknowledging their existence and their journey and maybe sharing it with somebody else, or becoming more aware, you then become part of their village.” Research studies have shown a strong correlation between foster care and so many other critical issues in our society. Danielle’s vision is to connect people with foster kids while bringing light and awareness to the system, that in turn will hopefully lead to positive change. Danielle says, “We need more people recognizing that our foster system is incredibly broken and it is all of our problem.“ If you enjoy this conversation, please share it with a friend and help us share Danielle’s message and goal of helping kids in foster care.
Follow us @iwhjpodcast
