Lauren Ready

USA TODAY

The children in these photos have spent hundreds of days in the foster care system. Some of them have spent more than a thousand days without a forever family. The day that these photos were taken was the day that each child became a part of a family for the rest of their lives.

Watch the video above to see the smiling faces of children on their adoption days.

The non-profit Together We Rise works hard to improve the lives of children in foster care such as the ones in these photos. Founded in 2008 by college student Danny Mendoza, the organization continues to be run by young adults and former foster youth. They provide thousands of foster kids across the country with new bicycles, college supplies and suitcases, so children don’t have to travel from home to home with their belongings in a trash bag.

In addition to their main programs, Together We Rise allows anyone to start a fundraising campaign for children in the foster system. Lori Johnston from Wichita Falls, Texas, hopes to provide a small gesture for children in her county who might feel forgotten or neglected. She organized a Precious Cargo campaign to provide "sweet cases" — a suitcase with a few extra items — instead of trash bags to children entering or in the system.

"When the children are placed in foster care, they are given a bag similar to this," Johnston said, holding up a clear trash bag, "to carry their belongings.

"It's our responsibility as a community to reach out to some of the most vulnerable members of society to let them know they are valued and they are loved and we have their back. That's what this campaign does."

Local woman hopes to provide "sweet cases" to foster kids

Check out the Together We Rise Facebook page for more sweet photos like the ones in the video above and to learn more about what the group does for kids in the foster care system.

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