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Photo Coverage: Broadway Sings for Foster Kids at VOICES FOR THE VOICELESS
By: Genevieve Rafter Keddy Oct. 31, 2017
Your Kids, Our Kids (Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, Founding Directors) proudly presented the 3rd Annual VOICES FOR THE VOICELESS: Stars For Foster Kids, an event that brings together the very best performers from the American stage and screen to raise awareness about the plight of kids in foster care, particularly those aged 13 and older who are in danger of aging out of the foster care system alone.
Combining celebrity, music, and everyday people sharing their incredible stories, VOICES FOR THE VOICELESS: Stars For Foster Kids directly benefits You Gotta Believe, a New York nonprofit specializing in finding permanent families for older kids in foster care. Hosted by Sirius XM Radio host (and Your Kids, Our Kids co-founder) Seth Rudetsky (Disaster!) and James Wesley (Unbroken Circle), this year's concert line-up featured two-time Tony-nominee Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Spring Awakening), Tony Award-winner James Monroe Iglehart (Aladdin, Hamilton), Tony Award-winner Jessie Mueller (Beautiful, Waitress), Grammy Award-winner Stephanie Mills (The Wiz), comedienne Caroline Rhea, Charlene Tilton ("Dallas"), WNBC's Janice Huff and more.
Today, more than 400,000 children are in foster care in the US, and every year, as many as 22,000 of them will age out of the foster care system. Without the safety net of a forever family to provide the security and comfort most take for granted, these young people are left on their own to face a future filled with hardships - from lack of education to unemployment, higher rates of incarceration, poor health, early parenthood and homelessness (as much as 50 percent of these kids will experience this devastation in their lifetimes). In New York City alone, there are more than 1,300 kids currently awaiting adoption, with more than 700 kids on the verge of aging out.
Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley created VOICES FOR THE VOICELESS in 2015, when they were working with the Council on Adoptable Children and You Gotta Believe to adopt a child out of foster care. At that time, the organizations abruptly suffered major cuts from governmental funding, and the two men decided to do what they have always done when faced with a crisis: gather their friends and put on a show! Over the past two years, VOICES FOR THE VOICELESS concert events have raised almost a millions dollars to support You Gotta Believe's efforts to ensure that every child leaving foster care does so with the support of a family.
Check out photos from the special event below!
Photo Credit: Genevieve Rafter Keddy
Voices For The Voiceless Stars For Foster Kids at The Town Hall
Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley
Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley
Lilla Crawford
Malan Breton and Lilla Crawford
Charlene Tilton and Melissa Gilbert
Anika Larsen
Anika Larsen
Eliseo Roman
Anika Larsen
Melissa Gilbert
Jonathan Groff and Melissa Gilbert
Seth Rudetsky, James Wesley and Stephanie Mills
Regina Calcaterra
Julie Wesley and Lilla Crawford
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