Together We Rise Corporation

The mission of Foster Love is to transform the way youth navigate through the foster care system.

Foster Love was born in 2008 after founder Danny Mendoza discovered his 9-year-old cousin was living in a car. Due to DCFS’s policies limiting care provision for adults under the age of 21, Danny’s attempts to provide relief to his cousin were consistently stymied. This experience caused Danny to gain a rapid awareness of the harsh realities that foster youth in America face. Instead of giving up, Danny decided to dedicate himself fully to improving the lives of children like his cousin who are navigating the foster care system. Danny’s vision became a reality as Foster Love was born. Since then, Foster Love has grown into one of the nation’s largest volunteer engagement organizations, enabling individuals everywhere to create a meaningful impact on the lives of foster youth.

In the United States, there are currently over 434,000 children in the foster care system. In Orange County alone, there are approximately 4,000 children in foster care. Many of these youth go without significant childhood experiences, lack a sense of normalcy and belonging, and are often the victims of abuse and neglect. Foster Love seeks to directly impact these foster youth by providing them with the critical resources they need.

Since our founding, Foster Love has directly supported over one million children in foster care, ensuring that they receive the critical resources and services that offer a sense of hope and opportunity. In 2024, we provided 28,881 Sweet Cases, 7,711 STEM Boxes, 5,339 Superhero Boxes, 7,944 Birthday Boxes, 7,349 skateboards, 11,513 bicycles, 2,277 Teen Duffles, 1,008 Back 2 School Packs, and 690 holiday gifts to children in foster care. Additionally, our commitment to fostering educational equity continues with the disbursement of over $1 million in life-changing scholarships.

Foster Love has also had a profound impact on family reunification efforts, reuniting over 500 siblings who have been separated by the foster care system each year. Our annual sibling reunification events continue to provide unforgettable experiences for these children, ensuring that they feel seen, loved, and whole while preserving their sense of belonging.

Looking ahead, Foster Love is dedicated to remaining innovative in response to the ever-changing needs of the foster care system. When gaps are revealed, we swoop in to meet that need. Our Rapid Response program is a prime example of this effort. Within just four weeks of the pandemic shutdown in 2020, we created an emergency support program for at-risk youth and quickly began providing essential resources through it. Over the next five years, we aim to expand our programs, increase the number of youth served, and continue to respond to the dynamic challenges facing foster youth today.

American foster youth continue to sit at the intersection of most of our country’s major social problems: Homelessness, poverty, human trafficking, food insecurity, addiction, suicide, mass incarceration, environmental injustice, and more. Foster Love's programs work to combat the harrowing statistics plaguing this population. Our top five greatest needs in Orange County include:
1. General operating support to maintain the sustainability of our organization: These funds are the lifeblood of our ability to provide life-changing services to system-impacted youth.
2. Family Fellowship support: Continuing to remain the nation's largest scholarship program for foster youth, the Family Fellowship program is in urgent need of support to sustain its operations.
3. Volunteer support at our annual Disney Days sibling reunification event.
4. Sweet Cases for kids in foster care.
5. Support for our new First Night Kits for infants in foster care, launching in 2026.

Foster Love is a nationwide organization dedicated to supporting foster youth across the United States. While our impact spans the country, many of our services are specifically focused on youth residing in Orange County and the surrounding areas where our headquarters are located. California is home to the nation's largest population of foster youth, with over 50% of this population residing in the counties of Orange, Los Angeles, San Bernardino, and Riverside alone. As such, we prioritize these areas to ensure the most immediate and effective support for system-impacted youth in our community.

As a former foster youth, I know firsthand how vital it is for children in foster care to feel seen, heard, and loved. At Foster Love, we are deeply grateful for the incredible support we receive from our community of donors, volunteers, and partners who are helping us create a movement of giving back to foster youth.

Our mission is to ensure these young people receive the resources, opportunities, and experiences that will allow them to feel a sense of belonging and hope. Together, we can provide the tools they need to build a brighter future. With the generous help of our local and national partnerships, we are committed to making a difference, especially in Orange County, where our roots are. But our vision is national, and we are determined to reach as many youth as possible, empowering them with the support and care they deserve.

Foster Love is more than a nonprofit; it's a family of people who care, who believe in second chances, and who understand that together, we can truly change the way foster youth experience the world. I’m honored to lead this amazing team and to continue advocating for these youth, whose lives are often marked by neglect, instability, and uncertainty. With your continued support, we can create lasting change and make every foster child’s journey a little bit easier.

As the Founder and CEO of Foster Love and now as Board Chair, my commitment to foster youth has only deepened since I first discovered my 9-year-old cousin living in a car. That experience ignited a fire within me to make a difference in the lives of children who face unimaginable challenges in the foster care system. I couldn’t stand by and let these kids endure neglect and instability without a voice, without love, and without hope.

At Foster Love, we are dedicated to transforming the foster care experience, and much of that transformation begins right here in Orange County. This community has been home to us since the beginning, and it is where our work truly takes root. Our goal is to ensure that youth in foster care in Orange County and surrounding areas receive the love, support, and resources they need to thrive. We aim to create a future where every child, regardless of their circumstances, knows they are valued, they are seen, and they deserve a childhood filled with hope and opportunity.

From humble beginnings, Foster Love has grown into a powerful force in this community. Together, we have been able to provide life-changing resources and create moments of joy for countless foster youth. But we are just getting started. With the continued support of our incredible local partners and community members, we will ensure that every foster child in Orange County has the chance to experience the love and opportunities they deserve.