CHOICES is excited to be working with the #CincyFosterCare Collaborative and Most Valuable Kids to provide opportunity to foster youth! The collaborative effort is working to raise awareness about the needs of kids in foster care and also recruit foster parents. Next week CHOICES families and other foster families will celebrate May is National Foster Care Month at the Reds game. Thank you to Most Valuable Kids for making this opportunity possible.
Official Press Release:
May is National Foster Care Awareness Month and the Cincy Foster Care Collaborative will be celebrating along with children and families across the city on Thursday, May 19th at the Ballpark thanks to a generous donation of 1,000 Cincinnati Reds tickets in partnership with Most Valuable Kids.
This Cincinnati Reds event provides a positive youth and family experience in honor of children, foster and adoptive families and raises awareness on the critical need for foster and adoptive parents in Hamilton County. “Providing safe and stable homes for children through foster care and adoption is one of the most crucial needs to propel our young people towards success.The need is in every community, including Hamilton County, and we are happy to be a part of the collaborative. There is a great benefit to placing youth in the area and school district they already know, but lack of licensed homes is a common problem,” says CHOICES Executive Director, Shellie Stolfo. “We know it takes a big heart to be a foster or adoptive parent, and it isn’t for everyone. There are many other ways individuals, businesses and organizations can show foster kids they care, we really believe there is some way for every person to get involved,” emphasized Stolfo.
In addition to an information tent at the Red’s Ballpark Fan Zone, Hamilton County Job and Family Services will have their Heart Gallery display of children in Hamilton County who are presently waiting for adoption. Individuals interested in finding out more about children waiting for adoption or becoming a Cincy Foster Care family are encouraged to visit the Red’s Ballpark Fan Zone on May 19th!
The goal of the Cincy Foster Care Collaborative is to unite a city-wide foster care effort that promotes high visibility awareness and builds public will to increase the capacity of the foster care system. Cincy Foster Care Collaborative partners include:
The Bair Foundation
The Buckeye Ranch
Beech Acres
Child Focus, Inc.
CHOICES, Inc.
Focus on Youth
Hamilton County Job & Family Services
Lighthouse Youth Services
National Youth Advocate Program
NECCO
Ohio Mentor Network
Pressley Ridge
SAFY
St. Joseph Orphanage
For more information about Cincy Foster Care and how you can help or to make a donation click here. For questions, contact Cincy Foster Care Collaborative Co-Chairs:
Pamela Lindeman, Child Focus, Inc.
plindeman@child-focus.org
513-752-1555
Jami Clarke, Lighthouse Youth Services
jclarke@lys.org
513-221-3350
