San Rafael, CA – Marin County’s foster care parents, who sacrifice so much to serve some of our most vulnerable children, will receive much-deserved recognition Dec. 3 at a meeting of the Marin County Board of Supervisors.
Marin County Health and Human Services staff will honor local foster parents with a short video presentation and emphasize that Marin is experiencing a shortage of adults willing to care for youths in transition.
“We appreciate the daily contributions that each of our foster parents make,” said Heather Ravani, Assistant Director Health and Human Services. “They are crucial partners for Marin’s Children and Family Services program, and we could not do our work without their dedication.”
Among those to be honored before the Board are:
• Marin Foster Parent Association President Linda Gregory, who was honored this summer with a San Francisco Bay Area Jefferson Award.
• Former Jefferson Award winner and County employee Claudia Asprer, who was featured on a recent episode of “The Queen Latifah Show” for her work with 90 Marin foster children.
Marin foster parents devote countless hours to help ensure that the children in their care have a safe and nurturing environment. Their work enables Marin’s foster children to thrive and reach their potential.
Children enter foster care because their biological families are unable to care for them. Foster families provide loving and stable homes until the children can be reunited with their own parents or move on to an alternative permanent home. In most cases, birth parents are provided with services for six to 18 months to help them reunify with their children.
While Marin has 35 licensed foster care homes and 25 dedicated family caregivers, there are more than 90 local children in need of foster placements. Recruitment of new foster parents is an ongoing need.
There are several ways to get involved in Marin’s foster care program. The annual holiday gift drive for Marin foster kids is under way until the end of December, and there is an urgent need for gift cards for teens. Contact Jeannie Damazio at JDamazio@marincounty.org for more information. Also, the Marin Foster Parent Association is accepting donations of new clothing and toys for children ages 4 to 12 and gift cards for teens. Email info@mfpa.net or call 415-507-0557 for details.
What is it like to be a foster parent? Call the Children and Family Services program of Marin HHS at 415-473-5028 or attend an informational orientation at which current foster parents and social workers participate. The next orientation is at 7 p.m. Dec. 12 at the Marin Health and Wellness Campus, 3250 Kerner Blvd., Room 107, San Rafael.
For more information, visit www.marinhhs.org/foster-care.