Everychild President’s Blog September 23, 2013

Interested in Becoming a Foster Parent?

Los Angeles County is experiencing a critical need for qualified foster parents. The County, with the nation’s largest child welfare system, simply does not have enough caring foster parents and families volunteering to care for these vulnerable children.

Everychild members are invited to attend An Open Conversation on Becoming a Foster Care Family hosted by Everychild Advisory Board member Rev. Patricia Farris on Sunday, Oct. 13th at 2 p.m., at the First United Methodist Church of Santa Monica (11th and Washington.)

Attendees will learn about the critical need for foster care families, how the process works, and the support that is available to those willing to explore the possibilities of opening their homes to foster care children and youth.

The issue gets more serious each day. Just last week, LA Times columnist, Sandy Banks observed that, “ The lack of foster homes means traumatized children removed from their parents are often crammed into temporary quarters where toddlers can spend hours in dirty diapers and teenagers sometimes have to sleep on the floor”
(http://www.latimes.com/local/la-me-0914-banks-foster-care-20130914,0,1280761.column)

Everychild’s January 2013 Inaugural Policy Committee Symposium “State of Our Children: LA”, drew attention to this crisis and as she listened, Rev. Patricia Farris was moved to explore how she and the faith-based community could take action. She reached out to Denise McCain-Tharnstrom, Everychild Public Policy Chair, who quickly drew Andrew Bridge of Child Welfare Initiative (CWI), into the dialogue. These conversations have resulted in an exciting collaboration between CWI and the faith-based community to recruit foster families.

For more information please see the attached flier or contact Rev Farris at [email protected] or Greg Solestar at [email protected]