WHEN: Monday, February 9, 2015
TIME: 6:30pm – 8:30
WHERE: North Conference Room, D.A. Blodgett - St. John's, 805 Leonard Street NE, Grand Rapids, MI 49503
Contact Lisa for questions at 616.451.2021 or to email her at [email protected].
/Katy Batdorff
One of our communities greatest, on-going needs is having enough foster parents to provide homes for the children that need help. As the number of children who come into care increases, the need for foster parents increases too.
When a child is abused or neglected by his or her parent(s) or another family member, foster parents are able to provide a loving and safe home that the child needs until their family situation can be improved. The goal is for the child to be reunited with their biological parents in a timely manner. When this is not possible adoption becomes the goal. Thus, foster care provides a temporary home for a child in special need of safety, security and a loving, supportive family.
About 70% of all children in foster care are in care because their parents have a substance abuse problem. Adult substance abuse, mental illness, and child sexual abuse contribute to an atmosphere where more and more children need a safe living environment while their parents work on successful treatment. Homes for teens are always desperately needed as well as homes for siblings to be placed together.
"My mother died when I was 4 years old. After she died, my father struggled with alcohol and drug problems and I was placed in a foster home when I was 12 years old. It was one of the best things that ever happened to me," Sara, former foster child.
The first step in becoming a foster parent is to attend a free seminar, call 616-451-2021 to RSVP or visit http://www.dabsj.org/what-we-do/foster-care/become-foster-parent to learn more.
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