Bethanna Plans A Night At The Ballgame
As a final celebration of National Foster Care Month, which is May, Bethanna, a public adoption and foster care agency, is planning a night with the Barnstormers at the team's home stadium, 650 N. Prince St., Lancaster, on Tuesday, June 8. The opening pitch is at 6:30 p.m. Thirty minutes prior to the start of the game, a meal featuring Hess BBQ will be held in the stadium's Haller Pavilion for those families interested in fostering and adopting. There will be an information booth, and the event will be designed to celebrate foster families and recruit more families. The event is family-friendly, and children are welcome.
"It's a neat opportunity for interested families to talk to families who are fostering," said Brenda Long, foster care and adoption supervisor for Bethanna, an organization that has been serving the area for nearly 30 years. Because the ballgame is an informal event where there are breaks for conversation, Long believes those who are considering fostering will have opportunities to ask questions. Children living with foster families will be present at the event, and three have been invited to throw out first pitches at the game. "We hope the public can understand children in foster care may have special needs, and they come from hard places," said Long. "They're kids."
Chris Walter, permanency worker with Bethanna, which serves the Susquehanna Valley from 301 N. Duke St., Lancaster, noted that although the organization works with 25 to 30 foster families, there is still a need for more. "There's a particular need for parents to foster teens and even to age 21 and over to help them get established as adults," she said, adding that foster parents are encouraged to be a resource and connection for older children to provide a home base for holidays and a place to come home to.
Long noted that there's a distinct need for parents who are open to both fostering and adopting and who realize a child may be reunited with his or her parents. She added that when foster homes are not available, referrals from the county may have to be turned away. "While the 25 referrals per month we turn away due to lack of ... foster homes also go to other agencies, when none of us have homes, children end up in youth shelter, while the home search continues," she said, noting that this is happening more often than it used to. "As foster families adopt, they often (stop fostering), and so we constantly need more families," she shared.
The event is free to attend, but reservations are required. Interested families may call 717-299-1926, ext. 512, or email blong@bethanna.org to register.
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