May is Foster Care Month
in Ohio:
ODJFS to host foster parent celebration May 1 in
Columbus
Governor Ted Strickland has designated May as Foster Care Month
in Ohio to recognize the contributions current foster parents make
to the children they care for and to increase awareness of the need
for more individuals to step forward and become foster parents. The
Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) will kick off a
month of events and activities around the state with a statewide
recognition celebration on May 1 in Columbus.
"Having seen first hand the difference a caring adult makes in a
child's life, I have tremendous admiration and appreciation for the
special families who open their homes to a child in need," ODJFS
Director Helen Jones-Kelley said. "In addition to these families
there is always a need for caring individuals to step forward and
provide a safe and stable environment."
ODJFS is hosting a Foster Care Month recognition celebration on
May 1 at the Verne Riffe Center, 77 North High Street, Studio 2
from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. to honor the many individuals and
organizations who contribute to Ohio's foster care program.
Motivational speaker Reverend Darrell L. Armstrong will give the
keynote address. Armstrong, a former foster child, is the founder
and executive director of the National Association of Foster
Children, Inc., a private, non-profit organization which seeks to
raise community awareness about the plight of America's abused,
abandoned and neglected children and to equip older foster youth
with life skills training to successfully transition out of foster
care.
Ohio has 18,440 children in temporary care, 5,118 of those
living in one of 10,674 certified licensed foster homes. Local
children services agencies regularly recruit potential families to
serve in this capacity. A directory of county children services
agencies is available at jfs.county.gov/county. |