Blog Archives by Date Blog
Throughout Hardee, Highlands, and Polk Counties we are fortunate to have local businesses / organizations and faith communities that believe in engaging in activities to support and strengthen children and families. Through connecting with Heartland for Children’s business and faith-based initiatives, some ways they are able to assist are: raising awareness about the importance of promoting healthy child development, child abuse and neglect prevention awareness, recruitment and support of quality foster homes and the need for forever homes for children waiting to be adopted.
The availability of quality foster and adoptive homes is an ever present challenge within child welfare. Historically, homes for teens and large sibling groups are even more difficult to recruit. There is an added challenge, currently, in that the number of new foster homes being licensed is outpaced by the numbers of children being removed from their homes. Removals are at a ten year high within Polk, Highlands and Hardee counties. Heartland for Children is committed to innovation in the approaches used to recruit and retain quality foster parents.
Case Manager's Corner by: Bill Nunnally
Thank you to all of these awesome representatives from their agencies and to everyone who’s out there every day doing amazing work.
- One Hope United
- Kelly Valk: Clinical Engagement Specialist at Neighbor to Family
- LaShandra Thomas West: Family Care Manager at Neighbor to Family
- Lauren Wolf: Family Care Manager at Neighbor to Family
- Kathy Sangster- Senior Case Manager, Gulf Coast Unit 35.
- Katherine Galvis, Certified Case Manager, Devereux
- Kristina Goderich, Children’s Home Society
- Vereuch Simmons, Children’s Home Society
CLICK LINK TO READ DETAILS ABOUT EACH
Heartland for Children coordinates the Annual Rudolph Round-Up Holiday Toy Drive to benefit local children who have experienced abuse and neglect and are receiving services through the foster care system. Last year 1,410 children and teens were able to be served through generous donations from our local community. Our goal for the 2016 12th Annual Rudolph Round-Up Holiday Toy Drive is to help to ensure that at least 1400 local children who have experienced abuse and neglect have holiday gifts and joyful celebrations. Our greatest need each year is for child wish list and toy drive donors for children ages birth to two and teens, ages 13 to 17. It is through the continued and valued support of individuals, groups, organizations, faith communities and businesses - Rudolph Champions - that the children’s holiday wishes come true!
In the last ten[+] years, Heartland for Children has established strong community partnerships and effective programs that have positively impacted our tri-county area. Under their leadership, child abuse has decreased. This change has been a result of strong commitment to prevention and evidence based programs. Additionally, their focus on trauma focused care has made a tremendous impact on children and families that have experienced abuse, neglect, and out of home placements. Heartland for Children is the model of community based care for our state.
As a social worker who was involved in the transition to this model of care in our state, I fully support and endorse their continued work and leadership in Hardee, Highlands and Polk counties.
Mary Jo Plews - Former Executive Director, Healthy Start Coalition