Celebrate May With the Gift of Hope; May is National Foster Care Month

From The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region:

This May, The Arc Northern Chesapeake Region (The Arc NCR) celebrates National Foster Care Month, focusing on family reunification with the Children’s Bureau’s theme “Honoring, Uniting, and Celebrating Families.” To children, youth, families, caregivers, and professionals, celebrating means taking action. The Arc NCR’s Treatment Foster Care (TFC) program is seeking people willing to open their homes and hearts to help a child. You can also take action by volunteering or donating to help a child in need.

Imagine losing everything and being put into the foster care system with nothing but the clothes on your back, and a trash bag to store your few meager belongings. The message given to these children is that they are worth nothing more than garbage. This is the reality for over 400 children in Cecil and Harford Counties who are in the foster care system, according to the most recent Cecil and Harford County Department of Social Services census. Treatment Foster Care helps some of the most vulnerable kids in Maryland, and without people to provide a nurturing home locally, these children will continue to suffer the trauma of being moved away from their school, friends and family.

You can help end the cycle of emotional trauma. Children are not trash. They deserve a loving home, proper support system, and proper luggage to store their belongings. TFC trains and certifies foster parents. Potential parents can expect to receive initial training, as well as additional training throughout the year; children who are the best match for their home; frequent contact and support from licensed social workers; 24-hour emergency on-call services; individualized planning; and respite services. Certified foster parents then receive generous monthly funding to support their child. You can also become a TFC volunteer, or donate money to help provide much-needed items such as care packages for new foster children, including shoes, toiletries and underclothes.

Why should you become a foster parent? Foster parents provide loving homes, a high level of care for children in need and stable relationships that last a lifetime. “Permanent, stable relationships can reduce the likelihood of early pregnancy, homelessness, poverty, incarceration and mental health problems,” explains Director of Treatment Foster Care at The Arc NCR, Joel Lightfoot. Foster children come in all ages, sizes and ethnic backgrounds, with one important need in common: a family. Treatment Foster Care needs homes and parents in Harford, Cecil and Baltimore Counties.

Are you ready to give the gift of hope? Call Treatment Foster Care at The Arc NCR at 410-836-7177 extension 402 or visit www.arcncr.org. You can attend an information session to decide if becoming a foster parent is right for you, sign up to volunteer or donate online today.