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| Serving Callaway County communities since 1875. | www.fultonsun.com | Wednesday, November 19, 2008 |
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Two groups, one goal: Meeting the needs of foster parents By JESSICA LYNN FOUMENA AGNOUNG For The Fulton Sun
Therefore, they decided to create Helping Hands, a non-profit organization that helps new foster parents by providing them with items such as clothes, shoes, socks, and baby blankets. The items are donated by residents and companies in the area. Through the organization, the Pattons hope to inspire others to be foster parents and make the transition as easy as possible. “We want to encourage people to become foster parents,” Patton said. “There is a lot of things to deal with in order to do it and that seems to turn away people.” Once a month, the Helping Hands organization meets in Fulton with the Callaway County Foster Parents Association to supply donations and training to foster families. Foster parent Cathy Starkey, who discovered the Helping Hands organization through Callaway County Foster Parents Assoc., is very pleased by the support she receives. “Helping Hands is a wonderful organization,” Starkey said. “They do their best to help you in any way.” “It takes a lot to raise a child into their teenage years these days,” Susie Forbis from Hope Chest said. “A lot of times foster families will skip on family vacations and trips to ballgames in order to provide for their children.” According to the organization's web site, the Hope Chest offers summer camps for foster children, transitional housing to young adults and scholarship awards to support post-secondary education. The Helping Hands and the Hope Chest work independantly towards a common goal: supporting foster families. While the Helping Hands organization mainly provides its services to Callaway, Cole and Boone counties, the Hope Chest organization operates specifically in Boone County and in other counties as needed. Patton invites anyone that wants to get involved with Helping Hands to e-mail our_helping_hands@hotmail.com. More information about the Hope Chest organization is available at hopechestforkids.com (Editor's note: Jessica Lynn Foumenia Agnoung is a senior at Westminster College. She is presently working as an intern at The Fulton Sun.) Four years ago, Adam and Nabrina Patton realized that the state did not provide them with enough financial resources to take care of their foster child. Therefore, they decided to create Helping Hands, a non-profit organization that helps new foster parents by providing them with items such as clothes, shoes, socks, and baby blankets. The items are donated by residents and companies in the area. Through the organization, the Pattons hope to inspire others to be foster parents and make the transition as easy as possible. “We want to encourage people to become foster parents,” Patton said. “There is a lot of things to deal with in order to do it and that seems to turn away people.” Once a month, the Helping Hands organization meets in Fulton with the Callaway County Foster Parents Association to supply donations and training to foster families. Foster parent Cathy Starkey, who discovered the Helping Hands organization through Callaway County Foster Parents Assoc., is very pleased by the support she receives. “Helping Hands is a wonderful organization,” Starkey said. “They do their best to help you in any way.” Another group, the Hope Chest, works towards the same goal. “It takes a lot to raise a child into their teenage years these days,” Susie Forbis from Hope Chest said. “A lot of times foster families will skip on family vacations and trips to ballgames in order to provide for their children.” According to the organization's web site, the Hope Chest offers summer camps for foster children, transitional housing to young adults and scholarship awards to support post-secondary education. The Helping Hands and the Hope Chest work independantly towards a common goal: supporting foster families. While the Helping Hands organization mainly provides its services to Callaway, Cole and Boone counties, the Hope Chest organization operates specifically in Boone County and in other counties as needed. Patton invites anyone that wants to get involved with Helping Hands to e-mail our_helping_hands@hotmail.com. More information about the Hope Chest organization is available at hopechestforkids.com (Editor's note: Jessica Lynn Foumenia Agnoung is a senior at Westminster College. She is presently working as an intern at The Fulton Sun.) |
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