The Anne McManus Fund was born out of the needs of a Minnesota Waiting Child and his recruiter. It seemed that a 15-year-old badly needed braces and his foster family could not afford the expense that was not covered under his medical insurance. Through outreach, the need was met by a donation covering the cost of the braces. Thus began the inception for a fund that would support the supplemental needs of children in foster care.
The fund was named after long time social worker and former executive director Anne McManus who retired in 2014. It seemed very appropriate that the fund be named after Anne who spent 36 years serving children in adoption services with our parent organization. Anne was always a tough advocate for the older child, understanding as few others could, the issues that children faced. With her patience and forbearance, she worked tirelessly to find families and help their placement to be successful.
The goal of the fund is to bring positive change for children in care. The hope is that they will feel empowered and build their self-esteem through participation in activities or by learning new skills. The fund is available to children in foster care whose foster parents cannot afford desired amenities, or that the county does not provide.
Since the fund’s inception, the Anne McManus Fund has distributed items such as:
- Swimming lessons
- Drivers Education
- Weight training for football and football cleats
- Gift card for clothes and shoes
- Hockey equipment
- Traveling Basketball fees
- Dance classes
- Laptop computer
- Gymnastics lessons
- State Fair tickets
- Bike trailer
- Boundary Waters Canoe Trip with school
- Gift card to cover items lost in a fire
- Science Museum membership
- Groceries and Diapers
