The need for foster families continues. Learn how you can help!

WELD COUNTY FOSTER KIDS NEED YOU!

Weld County is experiencing a foster family shortage. This is also true of all of Colorado. Greater awareness and advocacy is needed across the board to be able to adequately care for children and youth in the foster care system who are there, not through any fault of their own, but because the adults in their lives are unable to adequately and appropriately care for their needs. Foster care is meant to be a temporary solution to address safety concerns that parents and caregivers need addressed so the child, youth or sibling group may be able to reunify with their parents or be placed with relatives. In some cases neither option is possible so finding another permanent family situation is required and an adoptive family is sought out who will be able to provide the love, support and care needed to meet their permanency need.

It is an injustice when a community doesn’t have enough families to care for children and youth who need a foster family because it further disrupts the childhood development phase of life, it makes it harder for them to stay connected to relationships that are important to them, and it challenges their ability to stay in their school and succeed academically. Children need stability and support to succeed in life. They need adults who care about what they have been through and what they are currently going through. Children and youth can be very resilient, but they can’t do it on their own. Resiliency, healing and success are fostered by connection. Bruce Perry, American psychiatrist and Senior Fellow of the Child Trauma Academy in Houston, Texas, states, “The more healthy relationships a child has, the more likely he will be to recover from trauma and thrive. Relationships are the agents of change and the most powerful therapy is human love.” Fostering can be one of the most rewarding experiences that families can have. When you foster a child or youth, you are making a difference for the most vulnerable of our society and you are helping families to be able to stay together.

Loving families come in many different shapes and sizes. Whether you’re single, married, widowed or divorced, currently with or without children, a homeowner or a renter, you can be a foster parent in Weld County! Our focus is on finding foster families who are patient, loving and able to learn what is needed to provide a safe and nurturing home for kids who’ve gone through some hard stuff. The basic requirements for fostering is that you are at least twenty-one years old, a citizen or legal resident of the U.S., financially stable and able to pass a background check and home study.

Weld County offers trauma-informed training and ongoing support for families willing to help children and youth in this way. We need foster families for children of all ages but our greatest needs are for families who will consider older children (above 8 years old) and teens, children with special needs, and sibling groups. To learn more about fostering in Weld County, visit weldgov.com/go/fostercare.

HELP MAKE THE 39^th ANNUAL CHILDREN'S FESTIVAL POSSIBLE

Join United Way of Weld County’s Promises for Children in making April 11^th, 10:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m., a day of fun, food, activities, community resources and entertainment for families possible! Last year, more than 4,000 people turned out for the Northern Colorado Children’s Festival. The Children’s Festival is a free event for families to do activities, hands-on arts and crafts, visit the Scholastic book fair, and access community resources all located at Island Grove Park, 425 N 15^th Ave.  A huge aspect of the festival is to make sure that every child leaves with a new free book in their hands! None of this would be possible without our volunteers! If you are interested in helping this year we still have a variety of volunteer positions available: Guest Survey Team, Crew Support, Special areas/events, Festival Administration, Vendor Check-in, Volunteer Check-in, obstacle course/inflatables, entertainment/stage management, and more!

VOLUNTARIOS DE HABLA ESPAÑOLA / SPANISH SPEAKING VOLUNTEERS

Northern Colorado Children’s Festival

Our children’s festival offers you a wide range of opportunities to volunteer

For those comfortable speaking Spanish we need volunteers to greet our guest and help with survey.

Register at https://uwweld.galaxydigital.com/user/dashboard/

Contact Adriana Carrillo at 970-304-6173 or PromisesforChildren@UnitedWay-weld.org  for more information