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May Is National Foster Care Month—Share Your Heart
May is National Foster Care Month, and many Initiatives sites are planning exciting activities. Here are a few examples:
In San Diego, a Community Partnership board member is submitting an op-ed to the paper; members of the youth leadership board known as Leadership Empowers All Possibilities will serve as panelists at the fifth annual Children's System of Care Conference on May 24; the site coordinator wants to present the site's efforts to the City/County Reinvestment Task Force.- In Nashville, the Tennessee Youth Advisory Council (TYAC) is hosting a breakfast and the inaugural "Hope" awards for staffers from the Davidson County Department of Children's Services. TYAC members will nominate and award Davidson County DCS staff who encourage youth leadership, believe in and support teens, never give up on finding families for teens, involve teens in their plans, advocate for the dreams of teens, and work closely with community partners to support adolescents.
- In Michigan, the state Department of Human Services, the Michigan Association for Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Parents and the Michigan Federation for Children and Families are sponsoring a news conference and resource fair on the east lawn of the State Capitol on Tuesday, May 16. Speakers will include Michigan DHS Director Marianne Udow, Michigan Supreme Court Child Welfare Services Director Kathryn O'Grady, and Michigan Federation for Children and Families Board Member Martin Mitchell. Foster parent Mary Wood, who is president of Starr Commonwealth and president of the Michigan Association for Foster, Adoptive and Kinship Parents, also will speak. Former foster parent Deanna Rader and foster youth Adam Conway also will speak. Exhibit tables will be hosted by vendors and organizations which recruit, train and support foster parents throughout Michigan.
- Youth leaders from the Northern Michigan Youth Opportunities Initiative are holding a legislative forum for local representatives and senators May 5 in Traverse City. DHS Director Udow is facilitating the forum, an opportunity for legislators to meet face to face with young people transitioning from foster care and to hear about the issues they face.
- A broad coalition of organizations also has organized an array of activities across the country, beginning with an art exhibit by actress and foster care spokeswoman Victoria Rowell in Los Angeles, events at state capitols in Maine, California, and New York. Blue balloons will be released in Texas, and New York City will host a gala award celebrating foster parents. Events also are planned in Rhode Island, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
It's not too late to organize an activity in your community, and there are plenty of ways to get involved. Use this month to recognize a foster parent in your community by writing a letter to the editor of your newspaper. Or make a presentation to your school PTA, encouraging others to support families and services dedicated to helping youth in foster care. National Foster Care Month is also a great time to coordinate a donation drive at your local faith-based organization for suitcases, books, computers and other items that could help young people in foster care. For more ideas, please visit http://www.fostercaremonth.org/Pages/default.aspx.
