May 2013

In This Issue

Director's Letter: May is National Foster Care Month

April Barker Wins County Employee of the Year 

Four Children Safe Thanks to HCJFS Teamwork

Annual Veterans Hiring Event a Success

First HEMI Graduate Earns Degree

National Children's Mental Health Awareness Day

Wear Blue Day a Success

Adopt 13-year-old Breuana

This intelligent and courteous young lady says she would like to be a police officer when she grows up.
More...

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As of April 30, Hamilton County Job and Family Services had nearly 1,000 children in foster care.
May is National Foster Care Month and I would be remiss if I did not offer a huge ‘thank you’ to the hundreds of foster parents in Hamilton County who regularly care for our children.

There is no denying that becoming a foster parent is hard work.

Every parent knows that raising children is no easy task, and every day foster parents throughout the county volunteer to take on that responsibility for a stranger’s child. They feed, nurture and care for foster children, as they would their own. Moreover, they serve as a positive role model for children who desperately need one.

Children usually enter foster care having dealt with major traumas. Many have been abused and neglected and struggle to trust. Others are angry. A foster parent’s primary role is to provide safety, but many also find themselves guiding the foster children in their care.

In a recent Enquirer article, Mariah Maxwell, a former foster child, credited her foster mother and Higher Education Mentoring Initiative mentor with providing her the motivation to graduate college.

“My going into foster care opened a lot of doors. Without it, I wouldn’t have met (my mentor) Kate Livingston or my foster mother, Sheeila Foster – they pushed me, and encourage me to finish school,” she said.

The commitment and dedication of our foster parents continues to amaze me.

Unfortunately, the need for foster parents continues to increase. If you have ever considered becoming a foster parent, now is a great time to get involved. The children in this community need you.

Although Hamilton County Job and Family Services no longer licenses foster parents, you can call us at (513) 632-6366 or visit our website www.hckids.org for a list of partner agencies and some information about how to get started.

And if you aren’t ready for the commitment of becoming a foster parent, consider becoming an alternative caregiver or volunteering by becoming a HEMI mentor or CASA.

Regardless, I hope you will join me this month in thanking foster parents for their hard work. Foster parents play a crucial role in not only shaping a child’s life, but in improving our community.