Heartfelt Hangouts let children and teens be kids again.

A.N.A.'s Friends launched Heartfelt Hangouts in 2025 to offer monthly outings for youth in foster care and their caregivers, providing chances for normal childhood experiences funded by donors.

Many young people in foster care miss routine childhood experiences because of removals, court processes and changing caregivers. A.N.A.'s Friends, which supports Southwest Florida children and teens who have been Abused, Neglected and Abandoned, created Heartfelt Hangouts in 2025 to make space for laughter, connection and familiar activities. The program offers monthly outings where children and caregivers meet peers in similar situations and try classic childhood activities. Donor support is reported as enabling each event. Key details: - Heartfelt Hangouts was established in 2025 by A.N.A.'s Friends and runs monthly events for children and teens in foster care and their caregivers. - Activities described include arcade visits, pizza and games, boat rides, tourist stops and hands-on projects like caring for mangrove saplings for later replanting. - The program aims to create moments of normalcy, peer connection and caregiver support while young people navigate the dependency court system. - Each hangout is funded by donors and the organization reports ongoing reliance on outside support to sustain future events. Summary: Heartfelt Hangouts is presented as a way to help youth in foster care experience ordinary childhood moments and form peer relationships despite earlier disruptions. The organization reports monthly outings and continued dependence on external support to maintain the program.