EAGLE, Idaho — Megan and Quinn Williams know firsthand what it's like to be foster children: the usually traumatic circumstances that brought them into the system, frequent moves from home to home, and not as many opportunities for fun as a kid would like.
They've been there. And on any given day, an estimated 1,300 to 1,800 Idaho children are there, too, in the foster care system.
Through adoption, Megan, 18, and Quinn, 17, are together as brother and sister, now part of a family in Eagle.
Through a nonprofit they've named Foster for Foster, Megan and Quinn are working to raise funds to help today's foster children have some fun.
One immediate goal is to raise enough money to purchase a 15-passenger van that they can use to take foster children on outings -- "BSU games, Bogus, McCall, camping, roller skating, pretty much any fun activity," Megan said in a news release.
On Thursday, Megan told KTVB "these children don't have families, and they don't know how it is to feel like they belong."
To raise funds, and to raise awareness about the foster care system, Megan and Quinn have organized a film festival for Friday starting at 6:30 p.m. and Saturday starting at 6:00 p.m. at the Parma Motor-Vu drive-in theater.
"I want to help kids who are still in the system, who are older now, but still don't get to go and have fun," Quinn said.
The festival includes 19 films, a mix of short programs and feature-length movies. Many of them tell stories directly addressing issues foster children face, or can at least relate to.
Friday is billed as a "family fun night," with G- and PG-rated shows. Some of the films that will be shown on Saturday contain rough language.
Admission is free, but donations will be accepted.
