Wake Supports Foster Care Month

5/6/2008

Wake County Human Services will celebrate National Foster Care Month by holding a Foster Care Symposium on Tuesday, May 20, 2008, at 7 p.m., at Body of Christ Church, 4501 Spring Forest Road, Raleigh. There are 513,000 children in foster care in the United States, and relatives other than their natural birth parents are caring for more than 2.5 million children in the U.S., including more than 600 children in foster care in Wake County.

During the symposium, Wake County Human Services Board member Cynthia Marshall, Wake District Court Judge Monica Bousman, Body of Christ Church Pastor Kelvin Redmond and a panel of former and current foster care youth will educate members of the community in an effort to raise awareness about current foster care issues. The goal of the symposium is to encourage members of the community to become more involved in the foster care program.

During the month of May community events are planned to help retain, recruit and support critically needed foster parents as well as provide support and advocacy for foster youth and assist children aging out of the system.

Wake County will host the Seventh Annual Evening of Elegance, the main event for Foster Care Month, on May 18, 2008, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., at the Washington-Duke Inn, 3001 Cameron Blvd., Durham. Evening of Elegance is designed to salute the compassionate people who make a difference, the unsung heroes who freely give of themselves serving and meeting the needs of Wake County’s abused and neglected children.

For additional information about foster care and programs associated with Foster Care Month in Wake County, contact Vanessa Clifton at 212-7474.

The goal of National Foster Care Month is to raise awareness to the needs of Foster Care and encourage many more citizens to get involved in the lives of these youth – whether as a foster parent, volunteer, mentor or employer.

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