Vol. 6, No. 2• May 2002

Opportunities to help the NCFPA

We know many of you would like to help the North Carolina Foster Parent Association but may not know how. The committees within NCFPA need volunteers for short periods of time or for specific tasks. The following are opportunities to help:

Dolls Needed. The advocacy committee is seeking dolls for our “foster dolls campaign.” Boy dolls are especially hard to find. The dolls need not be new (after all, few of the children who come to us arrive unscathed). Stories of our foster children will be attached to the dolls. The dolls will be used to attempt to connect a face and a story with the actual foster children who are in care today. We hope to make policy-makers aware that these children (and the foster/adoptive parents who care for them) have many needs and concerns that are not being addressed. Contact Laura Johnson ([email protected] or 910/793-1337) for information on where to mail the dolls.

Advocacy Committee Wants Your Input. The NCFPA and its members are committed to collaborating with social workers and others. However, foster parents sometimes seem to be at a signifcant disadvantage when compared with other people on child-serving “teams.” For example, child-placing agencies are not required to consult with foster parents before removing a child from their home, nor do they need to give foster parents any explanation for moves or other decisions they make regarding foster children. We would like to change this situation by asking state legislators to create an appeals process or waiting period and/or to pass a formalized “bill of rights” for foster parents. In order to support this request, the advocacy committee must learn more about concerns foster and pre-adoptive parents have about county DSS’s or other child-placing agencies. We are particularly interested in situations where foster children are moved or are threatened to be moved when foster parents disagree with agency decisions. To share a story or learn more, contact Donna Greene ([email protected] or 704/882-8729).

Volunteers Needed at Fall Conference. The conference/training committee needs volunteers at the conference to sell T-shirts and bumper stickers, staff the book sale, and help with registration. Contact Becky Burmester (919/870-9968 or [email protected]).

Seeking Items for Silent Auction. The conference committee is looking for any item or gift certificate with a retail value of $25 or more for the silent auction held at our November conference. Tickets to sporting or cultural events, vacations, toys, restaurant gift certificates, etc. have been good fund-raisers in the past. The conference is right before the holidays, so if you have or see clearance items, now would be a good time to buy and donate them. All donations are tax-deductible. Door prizes and gift basket items are also needed. These are items worth $5 or more that would fit in a “theme” basket (e.g., coffee, tea, chocolate, bath time) for each table or for individual door prizes. Contact Becky Burmester (919/870-9968; [email protected]).

Conference-Related Mailing. The communications committee is looking for help labeling and mailing the NCFPA newsletter and conference information. A 3-hour block of time is needed. The work will be done in the Raleigh area in late August 2002. Contact Kay Gillis (919/556-6691 or [email protected]).

Calling All Writers and Idea People. The communications committee is looking for articles for the next edition of our newsletter. If you have a topic you would like addressed or that you would like to write about, contact Kay Gillis (919/556-6691 or [email protected]).

Copyright � 2002 Jordan Institute for Families