County child welfare board raises awareness for area foster children
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Isabel Smith, secretary of the Young County Child Welfare Board, and Debbie Key, Young County Child Protective Services Supervisor, hang up pictures of area foster children who are up for adoption. The program is called the heart gallery and is on display at Ciera Bank, Interbank and the Young County Courthouse. (Contributed photo)
April is a month of awareness for children throughout the nation, and the Young County Child Welfare Board uses national Go Blue Day and the month of April to raise awareness for a unique cause, area foster children.
The board, which was relaunched in 1996 to serve the needs of foster children, has continued the tradition with its current 13-member board and alternates.
“Our board specifically serves to see the needs of the foster children from Young County, the children that have originated from Young County,” board member Isabel Smith said. “There are sometimes not enough foster families to take them in Young County, so they are sent wherever there are places for them, but we as a board are still responsible for them. So if they are in Harris County, Stephens County, we still take care of them.”
Foster awareness
On Friday, the YCCWB began a campaign to raise awareness with their annual heart gallery. The heart gallery pieces are giant canvas pictures of children who are in the foster system and up for adoption which will be on display from April 5 through April 11. Those on display are not just from Young County, but also surrounding counties and a part of many different age groups.
“In conjunction with national Go Blue Day, which is Friday, April 5, the Young County Child Welfare Board members also will have on display the heart gallery,” Smith said. “The three locations the heart gallery can be viewed at are Ciera Bank, Interbank and the Young County Courthouse lobby.”
Smith said the organization currently has the highest number of children in the foster care system since she started on the board in 1996, with 46 children in the system. The board only receives money from Graham Area United Way and through their April brochure fundraiser, which is mailed out to area residents. People can also donate jury duty money to the board and the organization also takes straight donations.
For the rest of the story see the Saturday, April 6 edition of The Graham Leader.
