family connection By
Susan Grandpre
Foster Parents Make a
Difference
Many people explore ways they can contribute to their community and
have a positive impact on the lives of other people. Some specifically
look for a way to make a difference in the life of a child. Foster
parents do exactly that and more. On June 3, the City of Richmond
Department of Social Services took the opportunity to acknowledge and
celebrate the foster parents who pro-vide homes to the many children in
the city’s foster care system. Despite the fact that May was National
Foster Parenting Month, Richmond DSS decided to pick a time between
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day to hold an open house in appreciation of
foster parents. In 2007, Richmond DSS was fortunate enough to approve 35
new foster homes, bringing the number of foster parents to approximately
200. Unfortunately, that number does not provide enough foster homes for
the more than 500 children living in foster care in Richmond. To say
that foster parents are valuable does not seem to be an adequate
statement. As Freda Johnson, a social worker with Richmond DSS, says,
“Foster parents are a gift to the com-munity.” They give of themselves
to the children, but also provide a service to biological families and
the community as a whole. Becoming a foster parent does not require a
lot of financial resources. It does not matter if the foster parent is
single or married. Social workers are not even looking for “perfect”
people. They simply want people with the right intentions, who will
provide a safe environment of growth, love and security for a child in
need. Richmond DSS provides an orientation once a month to anyone
considering foster parenting. In addition to the orientation, a
nine-week training course is offered for all prospective foster parents.
This training class prepares individuals to become foster parents and
adoptive parents simultaneously. While the official celebration to show
gratitude to foster parents occurs only once a year, the contributions
of foster parents are appreciated each and every day by those
individuals involved in the foster care system. Simply stated, the
foster care system does not work with-out foster parents. For more
information on foster parenting, call 804-646-KIDS.
Susan Grandpre earned a B.A. in English from James
Madison University and has been a freelance writer for nine years. She
lives in Richmond with her husband and three children.
Archives:
Pick up your copy of Richmond
Parents Monthly available at over 400 area locations!
