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United for Families hosts series of caregiver appreciation eventsFoster parents took a short break from diapers and carpooling June 13, replacing them for a short time with fine dining and glamour.
United for Families and Family Preservation Services hosted the 2008 Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner June 13 at Spring Hill Suites, in Port St. Lucie. More than 100 guests attended the event, which featured national speaker and author Corrie Player.
Player, who spoke about the difficulties and joys of raising teenagers, autographed a copy of her book, Loving Firmness, for each foster family. Player, of Utah, was in town earlier in the week to lead an in-service training for case managers about creating better working relationships with foster parents.
Later in the month, 100 foster parents and children attended the Fourth Annual Foster Family Pool Party. Families splashed in the zero-entry (or gently sloping) pool at Gifford Aquatic Center, ran through splash fountains and picnicked on hotdogs, hamburgers and chips. The June 21 event was sponsored by United for Families and Hibiscus Children’s Center. Riverside National Bank also helped sponsor the event by donating a grill and hotdogs.
Activities wound down June 28, when United for Families presented the last of its series of caregiver appreciation activities at Indian Riverside Park in Martin County. That event was made possible by a grant by the Children’s Services Council of Martin County.
The event was coordinated to recognize the important contributions of relative caregivers — grandparents, aunts, uncles and other relatives who care for children who have been removed from their homes.
For information about United for Families, or to contribute, please call Christina Kaiser at 398-2920 Ext. 298, or visit www.unitedforfamilies.org.
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Rossana Gonzalez, of Hibiscus Children's Center, helped greet foster families as they arrived at the June 21 Foster Family Appreciation Pool Party. Hibiscus helped sponsor the fourth annual event.
Skip Rees and Chad Collins, of United for Families, volunteer during the event to make hamburgers and hotdogs.
Children had their choice of water fun during the event, which featured a zero-entry swimming pool and an interactive splash fountain.
Foster Parent Beato Perez enjoys a cool blast from the splash fountain.
Children enjoy waterslides, recently added to the Indian River County facility.
Frank Hickox shows off his Case Manager of the Quarter gift basket and certificate.
St. Lucie County Foster Parent Mary Scruggs, left, relaxes with her guest at the June 13 Foster Parent Appreciation Dinner.
Mike and Pat Iania, St. Lucie County foster parents, arrive at the June 13 event.
Daisy and Joseph Ruiz-Irizarri were among the many foster parents to attend the event.
Jim and Karen Selway, of Martin County, take their turn at the buffet.
Chief Executive Officer Christine Demetriades welcomes Lisa and Fred Waller, of St. Lucie County, to the dinner.
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United for Families News
- United for Families welcomes its latest staff member, Shannon Veilleux, who began work July 14 in the quality management department.
Shannon previously worked as a case manager supervisor for Family Preservation Services.
- The next all-hands staff meeting is scheduled 9-11 a.m. July 18 in the United for Families board room.
The next scheduled all-hands meeting will be Sept. 19, after which United for Families staff will be treated to an appreciation luncheon. Development is coordinating the event to thank staff for volunteering at various events throughout the year.
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Caregiver News
- Funding still is available for caregivers in Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties who want to send their children to summer camp.
Due to a high, early demand, camp funding in St. Lucie County no longer is available.
- Foster children about to move into their own apartments or college dormatories will take with them a goodie box of living necessities, such as cookware, utencils and towels thanks to a grant from the United Way of St. Lucie County.
The apartment kits will be offered through United for Families' Road to Success program, which teaches independent living skills to children who are aging out of the foster-care system.
Two other United for Families' funders, Brookdale Foundation and Children's Services Council of Martin County, are making more resources available to grandparents and other kinship caregivers through the Relatives As Parents Program and Caregiver Support Program.
The next St. Lucie County/Martin County combined meeting is set for 6:30 p.m. Aug. 12 at the Martin County Service Center, on Willoughby Boulevard.
Call Jill Poole for more information at 398-2920.
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Community News
- United for Families will present its next quarterly training at 10 a.m. Sept. 11 at Indian Riverside Park, in Martin County. The training will be about workplace safety and feature a health fair and complimentary lunch. Registration will be available online i the next month.
- Frank Hickox, a dependency case manager for Children’s Home Society, was awarded the United for Families Case Manager of the Quarter Award June 12 during an in-service training about working with foster parents.
Hickox’s employer, Children’s Home Socity, is part of United for Families’ network of providers and provides case-management services in Martin, Indian River and Okeechobee counties.
United for Families created the award as a way to recognize and better support the efforts of dependency case managers, who coordinate services for children in the dependency court system. It was the first time an Okeechobee County case manager won the award, which has become the centerpiece of United for Families’ program to train and retain quality social workers and stabilize the child-welfare system for children.
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