A photo of a young boy graces a billboard at the Garden State Plaza placed by Children's Aid and Family Services. The agency is reaching out to the public in new ways as it seeks foster parents.
A photo of an adorable baby adorns a billboard at Paramus Park Garden State Plaza malls placed by Children's Aid and Family Services. The agency is reaching out to the public in new ways as it seeks foster parents.
|
(Paramus , NJ) October 6, 2006 - To spotlight the plight of children without families, Children's Aid and Family Services is reaching out to the public in new ways. In the Garden State Plaza and Paramus Park malls, large, compelling photos of an older child and baby are displayed with the words "Transform a Child's Life. Become a Foster Parent."
"We're excited about this recruitment effort, and believe we'll reach people that aren't aware of the desperate need for foster parents," says Liz Mason, executive vice president. "There are tens of thousands of children in the state of New Jersey who are orphans of the living, meaning their parents are alive, but are unable or unwilling to care for them. A typical family shopping in the mall may not even think of fostering - our hope is that seeing the billboards might spur them to find out about it.
"While we are actively seeking families for infants, our ad campaign is particularly intended to draw attention to the great many older children who are in need of foster parents. There are about 12,000 foster children in New Jersey alone, which is why we are taking billboards to highlight this issue in the public's mind, and give these children a greater chance of finding a loving foster family to care for them. The need for foster parents has become even greater as the number of children in foster care grows."
An all-too-familiar scenario
Tamara's* story is an unfortunately typical example of what a foster child endures before finding a loving home. Born to a single mother who lacked the education and maturity to care for her, she was shuttled back and forth to relatives, and then ended up with her elderly grandparents. Her grandmother was the caregiver to Tamara's grandfather, who suffered from chronic heart disease. As Tamara got older, it became increasingly difficult for her 65-year-old grandmother to keep up with the needs of her family. In poor health herself, she could barely get her husband to the doctor, much less her granddaughter. One day, when she was 8, Tamara came home from school to learn her grandmother was making her a ward of the state.
Angry, frightened and betrayed, Tamara had difficulties adjusting to new foster homes and found herself being shuttled around from one temporary home to another. When she was 10, the state asked Children's Aid and Family Services to care for her in one of its group homes. There, caring and dedicated social workers supported Tamara and the other children, most of whom had similar backgrounds. Agency employees got the children ready for school every day, cooked their meals for them, took them to doctor visits, and made sure they went to their weekly counseling sessions. Slowly, Tamara began to feel hopeful again, and find out new things about herself. She discovered she loved clothes, now that she had nice outfits to wear every day. She liked to paint, now that she was in an environment where her creativity was encouraged. She looked forward to school with great enthusiasm, now that she had someone to help with her homework.
Finding a loving family
After about one year in the group home, Tamara made great strides. She was happier, gaining confidence and beginning to trust others again. She began meeting with a foster family with the possibility of living with them. The family received ongoing training from Children's Aid and Family Services, and had cared for many children during the 15 years it was with the agency. After six months of spending time with the family, Tamara felt comfortable enough to move in to their house, and eventually became a cherished member of the family. She's been with them for three years now, and the family is in the process of adopting her.
Tamara's story is typical of what happens when a loving and supportive foster family takes in a child. Many of the foster parents with Children's Aid and Family Services have adopted their foster children.
"Although this is great news for the adopted children, unfortunately it lessens the foster families we have available," says Rose Zeltser, senior vice president of child welfare services. "And, at any one time, we always have about 60 children living in our group homes that are yearning for the stability of being part of a loving family."
Foster parents receive a monthly stipend to pay for the child's food, clothing and household costs, and Medicaid provides medical and dental coverage for the child. Additionally, Children's Aid and Family Services provides support and counseling for foster parents, and is on call to them 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Children's Aid and Family Services is one of the largest regional, nonprofit human services organizations serving northern New Jersey. The agency is fully accredited and has more than 100 years of experience in building futures for children, families, and communities. Its mission is to help children, families, and communities to heal, to learn, and to grow. For more information on becoming a foster parent, call 201-226-0300 or visit www.cafsnj.org.
*Names and certain details have been changed to protect the privacy of our clients.
|
