May is National Foster Care Month!

CASA of Caroline is working to promote awareness and appreciation for the many foster families in our community. Foster care is a protective service for children and their families when families can no longer meet the child’s basic daily needs. There is a saying that it takes a village to raise a child, meaning the entire community must interact with children for those children to experience and grow in a safe and healthy environment. This is especially true for children and families who are part of the Caroline County foster care system.

There are many reasons that make it difficult for families to meet their children’s needs such as poverty, substance abuse, mental illness, loss of a job or lack of support from extended family and community. The current pandemic has put even greater stress on families who are already struggling. Our foster care system was created so parents can know their children are safe until the parents are once again able to provide for their child’s needs.

Every child deserves a loving home. They need a place to live, a place to sleep, clothes to wear, healthy food to eat, a good education – and even toys to play with! They need someone who can take them to school, the dentist, the doctor; someone to make sure they take their baths and brush their teeth. They need someone to love them and doesn’t abuse or hurt them. In foster care, children are provided with a safe, nurturing, loving family for a temporary period of time. It is intended as a support to families, not a substitute for parents. It is not a lifetime commitment to a child, but a commitment to be meaningful in the child’s lifetime.

In celebration of National Foster Care Month, CASA of Caroline will be “planting” light blue ribbons in the Denton Community Garden. Our goal is to raise awareness about the needs of foster care providers and the children they serve as well as encourage our community to get involved – as foster or adoptive parents, CASA’s, mentors or anything else to contribute to the safety and well-being of Caroline County’s children. It’s time to recognize we all play a role in enhancing the lives of children and youth; especially those in foster care. Throughout the month, we will be sharing real-life foster care stories spotlighting some of our local heroes on our Facebook page and website.

We will also be highlighting some of the ways Caroline County residents can make a difference in a foster child’s life such as becoming a CASA or participating in Caroline’s Mentoring Project through the Caroline County Family YMCA. It truly does take a village, or a county!

On May 5, in conjunction with National Foster Care Day and Giving Tuesday Now, CASA of Caroline will be posting resources and information about foster care on our Facebook page along with a donation button. Donations made on that day will be used to recruit and train our CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) volunteers who give children in the Caroline County foster care system a voice in court. We are also encouraging everyone to wear light blue on May 5th to show their support for foster youth everywhere. To find out more about National Foster Care Day and Month or about CASA of Caroline, please call 410-479-8301, visit our website at www.carolinecasa.org or find and like us on Facebook.

The Governor’s Office of Crime Control & Prevention funded this project under sub-award number CJAC-2019-0004 and VOCA-2018-0063. All points of view in this document are those of the author and do not necessarily represent the official position of any State or Federal Agency. This project is supported by a grant from the Maryland Judiciary’s Administrative Office of the Courts number AOC-G20CA0225I.