A Year of Impact, Growth, and Community

In 2025, Children’s Aid Society of Alabama (CAS) continued its mission of changing lives, building families, and strengthening communities across the state. Through expanded training, powerful partnerships, and deepened support for children and families.


Elevating Awareness & Advocacy

Training that Transforms Practice

  • Alabama Pre/Post Adoption Connections (APAC) successfully hosted the 19th Annual Permanency Conference, bringing together caregivers, child welfare professionals, clinicians, and advocates for a three-day event focused on adoption, foster care and providing the best support to children through every stage of life as they process and heal from complex trauma.
  • Through APAC and CTSP, CAS delivered ongoing in-person and online, trauma-informed trainings throughout 2025; equipping parents and professionals with practical tools to better support children and youth impacted by trauma and adversity. In addition to registering for upcoming training events, the CAS training site also offers an on-demand training library, where recordings of past live events are stored for your convenience.
  • Highlighting the importance of amplifying the lived-experience of youth in foster care, the Independent Living (IL) team presented trainings at APAC's Permanency Conference and the national Daniel Memorial, Independent Living Conference. In addition to the numerous group home visits and regional Dream Council Meetings the team hosts to prepare youth for their future, IL also hosted a well-attended Networking Conference, keeping professionals serving older youth in foster care in-tune with needs of youth and informed of the resources available to them.


Strengthening Families & Young Adults

  • Effective Parenting Instruction Course (EPIC) trainer Linda Martin received a service award from the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), recognizing her outstanding commitment to strengthening families through parent education.
  • The EPIC team was also highlighted in a wonderful article shared by Bham Now
  • APAC continued to provide vital support through adoptive family groups, educational workshops and webinars, Camp APAC, and access to adoption‑competent counseling for families statewide. APAC's adoptive family recruitment efforts are on-going and the team is committed to forge stronger community connections across the greater Birmingham, Huntsville, Mobile and Montgomery regions. APAC presented a training to the Junior League of Birmingham and hosted several pop-up and online events. Please reach out and connect with the team to collaborate on recruitment and help APAC end the wait for children in foster care to unite with forever families in our communities. This means, sharing informational sessions in your place of business, place of worship, community centers and more. Let's talk!
  • Project Independence participated in the City of Birmingham’s first-ever Homelessness Symposium, contributing to conversations within the city’s Continuum of Care and highlighting the needs of young pregnant and parenting mothers impacted by homelessness as they work toward stability and prosperous futures with their children.
  • IL hosted their annual Graduation Celebration honoring youth in foster care who overcame countless obstacles and graduated from high school. Graduates were celebrated with a beautiful luncheon studded with inspirational speakers. The Heart Gallery of Alabama provided a free keepsake photo session for grads. Thanks to wonderful supporters like you, their annual Grad Bag Campaign allowed the team to gift over 100 determined young scholars with brand new suitcases; filled with essential supplies to get them started on the first big leap into adulthood while feeling supported and cared for by our community. More to come on this year's Grad Bag Campaign coming soon!

Community Support Continues to Grow

  • CAS Board Member, Devon Harris and family collaborated with APAC and hosted their 5th Annual BCH Golf Classic during National Adoption Awareness Month. This festive event helps raise funds for APAC services and collected suitcases are donated to Fostering Together Gulf Coast.
  • Community involvement expanded in meaningful ways throughout 2025. Executives from Regions Bank volunteered alongside CAS staff to assemble CTSP Awareness Bags and Project Independence's street team outreach kits.
  • Team members from Altar’d State’s Birmingham store decorated ornaments for Project Independence moms during the holidays, and the store dedicated proceeds from its Mission Mondays initiative to support CAS programs.
  • A generous family donated brand-new toys, books, and children’s clothing to support Project Independence and Family Partners participants; ensuring families had access to essential items and toys to bring children added joy during the holidays. Additionally, CAS leadership issued a call to support Family Partners and Project Independence through a Thanksgiving Food Drive. We are grateful to everyone who donated this year!
  • We're also excited to share that CAS received 21 media mentions in the year 2025. Thank you for continuing to spread the word.

Where We Are Now & Looking Ahead


  • CTSP kicked off this year's Human Trafficking Awareness campaign with WBRC on Good Day Alabama. The team has also led efforts across the state to spread awareness through proclamation signings at city council events.
  • APAC's Montgomery team celebrated their first adoptive family finalization of the year this month! Please continue to share APAC's free adoption services so we can create more wonderful moments like this in 2026.
  • We are currently recruiting summer camp staff. It's always a joy to be a part of Children's Aid Society of Alabama's camps, provided at no cost to participants. Camp APAC, serving adoptees and their siblings (ages 9-18) and Independent Living's Camp LIFE experiences serving youth in foster care (ages 14-21) are unforgettable for the youth we serve and the wonderful people who make these camps a reality. Click here for more information and apply if you'd like to take part in making the magic happen this year!
  • As a reminder, IL's annual Grad Bag Campaign will begin in a few days.
  • APAC will open registration for their 20th Annual Permanency Conference soon, please continue to check in for announcements.
  • We'll share our Annual Stewardship report shortly, you'll see a clear picture of how your support changes lives, builds families and strengthens communities across our beautiful state.


Thank you to our staff, community partners, financial supporters, and community members who made 2025 a year of meaningful impact. Together, we are building a stronger future for Alabama.

Recognition of Grant Supporters, Thank You!:

Alabama Pre/Post Adoption Connections' services are provided through a collaborative partnership with Alabama DHR.

Child Trafficking Solutions Project is made possible by funding through the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention; Baptist Health Foundation, a grant from the Longleaf Fund by the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama, a grant from the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham, and a grant from CSX transportation.

EPIC is made possible by funding through the Alabama Department of Child Abuse and Neglect Prevention.

Family Partners is made possible through a partnership with Alabama DHR. Independent Living's services are provided through a partnership with Alabama DHR, services are also supported by a grant from The Caring Foundation Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, the Hugh Kaul Foundation, Protective Life Foundation, Hill Crest Foundation, Thompson Foundation, Independent Presbyterian Foundation and Alabama Power Foundation.

Project Independence is supported by the Family and Youth Services Bureau, supported in part by funds awarded through the Community Development Block Grant Program Jefferson County, Publix Supermarkets Charities, and Nordstrom Cares. All programs are supported by the United Way of Central Alabama.

Children's Aid Society of Alabama | 2141 14th Avenue South | Birmingham, AL 35205 US

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