Lawmakers pass foster care bills
WDTN - Dayton, OH, June 27, 2007.
COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) - State lawmakers have passed legislative proposals designed to improve safety and accountability in the state's foster care system.
The bills follow high-profile cases last year including the death of a 3-year-old boy left bound in a closet by his foster parents and the conviction of a couple who kept some of their eleven adopted, special-needs children in cages.
1 of the bills adds protections for children in foster care, improves coordination among government agencies to prevent children from being placed in dangerous homes and eases moving children out of homes where conditions go wrong.
Another steps up the state's ability to check the criminal backgrounds of potential foster parents and enhances the training provided by the state.
Saturday, June 30, 2007
Monday, June 25, 2007
Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
This Father’s Day Give Dad Something Other Than a Tie: Enjoy a Wendy’s Frosty and Help Change the Lives of Children in Foster Care
June 11, 2007.
DUBLIN, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dad might like a sporty new tie, but he’ll probably feel even better about helping a group of wonderful children on Father’s Day.
That’s what Wendy’s® first Father’s Day Frosty Weekend is all about - giving people another way to support the cause of foster care adoption and help the more than 114,000 U.S. children who are waiting for the love of forever families.
During Father’s Day Weekend, June 16 and 17, Wendy’s will donate 50 cents from the sale of every Frosty™ product at participating restaurants to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®.
The goal is to raise $1 million to support the work of the non-profit Foundation and its signature program: Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® (WWK). This program is filling a critical gap by funding and supporting full-time adoption recruiters at local agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to match prospective parents with waiting foster care children.
In three years, WWK has grown from seven pilot cities in April 2004, to 75 cities across North America with 87 adoption recruiters.
“The Wendy’s system is very proud to be initiating this special event that helps support our Founder’s most passionate cause - finding a permanent and loving home for every child,” said Wendy’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Kerrii Anderson who serves on the board of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
“We hope families will bring dad to lunch at Wendy’s to enjoy a Frosty. It’s an easy way to celebrate Father’s Day while making a difference in the lives of others.”
To date, nearly 2,000 children in foster care have been helped by the growing WWK program. Of these children, more than half have had families identified for them through WWK. Most important, 125 children have had their adoptions finalized and now are experiencing the joys of having adoptive families.
The success of WWK is due to the ongoing partnership between the Foundation, the Wendy’s system and local adoption partners. The Foundation grants funds to qualified adoption organizations, and holds the agencies accountable for achieving agreed-upon results. The Wendy’s system raises funds to pay the costs of the local WWK programs.
“With all that’s been achieved, there are still thousands of children in foster care waiting to be adopted. The average age of a waiting child in the U.S. is nearly nine years old, and they spend an average of five years in the foster care system. Imagine telling a young child they must wait five years to find a permanent family,” said Rita Soronen, Executive Director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
“We believe Wendy’s Wonderful Kids is a realistic solution, and that the program will become even stronger with the support of Wendy’s customers during Father’s Day weekend.”
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non-profit 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America’s foster care systems ready to be adopted. Created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas who was adopted as a child, the Foundation leads programs such as Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, which puts adoption recruiters in all 50 states and Canada to find permanent, loving families for children in the foster care system, and Adoption-Friendly Workplace, which encourages employers to offer adoption benefits to their employees. The Foundation also works with adoption advocates and officials to streamline the adoption process and make adoption more affordable for families. As the only Foundation dedicated exclusively to foster care adoption, we are driven by Dave’s simple value: Do what’s best for the child. To learn more about the Foundation’s work, please visit www.DaveThomasFoundationforAdoption.org
Wendy’s International Inc. Overview
Wendy's International, Inc. (NYSE:WEN) is one of the world's largest and most successful restaurant operating and franchising companies. More information about the Company is available at www.wendys-invest.com
June 11, 2007.
DUBLIN, Ohio--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dad might like a sporty new tie, but he’ll probably feel even better about helping a group of wonderful children on Father’s Day.
That’s what Wendy’s® first Father’s Day Frosty Weekend is all about - giving people another way to support the cause of foster care adoption and help the more than 114,000 U.S. children who are waiting for the love of forever families.
During Father’s Day Weekend, June 16 and 17, Wendy’s will donate 50 cents from the sale of every Frosty™ product at participating restaurants to the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption®.
The goal is to raise $1 million to support the work of the non-profit Foundation and its signature program: Wendy’s Wonderful Kids® (WWK). This program is filling a critical gap by funding and supporting full-time adoption recruiters at local agencies in all 50 states and the District of Columbia to match prospective parents with waiting foster care children.
In three years, WWK has grown from seven pilot cities in April 2004, to 75 cities across North America with 87 adoption recruiters.
“The Wendy’s system is very proud to be initiating this special event that helps support our Founder’s most passionate cause - finding a permanent and loving home for every child,” said Wendy’s Chief Executive Officer and President, Kerrii Anderson who serves on the board of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
“We hope families will bring dad to lunch at Wendy’s to enjoy a Frosty. It’s an easy way to celebrate Father’s Day while making a difference in the lives of others.”
To date, nearly 2,000 children in foster care have been helped by the growing WWK program. Of these children, more than half have had families identified for them through WWK. Most important, 125 children have had their adoptions finalized and now are experiencing the joys of having adoptive families.
The success of WWK is due to the ongoing partnership between the Foundation, the Wendy’s system and local adoption partners. The Foundation grants funds to qualified adoption organizations, and holds the agencies accountable for achieving agreed-upon results. The Wendy’s system raises funds to pay the costs of the local WWK programs.
“With all that’s been achieved, there are still thousands of children in foster care waiting to be adopted. The average age of a waiting child in the U.S. is nearly nine years old, and they spend an average of five years in the foster care system. Imagine telling a young child they must wait five years to find a permanent family,” said Rita Soronen, Executive Director of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption.
“We believe Wendy’s Wonderful Kids is a realistic solution, and that the program will become even stronger with the support of Wendy’s customers during Father’s Day weekend.”
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption is a non-profit 501(c)3 public charity dedicated to dramatically increasing the adoptions of the more than 140,000 children in North America’s foster care systems ready to be adopted. Created by Wendy’s founder Dave Thomas who was adopted as a child, the Foundation leads programs such as Wendy’s Wonderful Kids, which puts adoption recruiters in all 50 states and Canada to find permanent, loving families for children in the foster care system, and Adoption-Friendly Workplace, which encourages employers to offer adoption benefits to their employees. The Foundation also works with adoption advocates and officials to streamline the adoption process and make adoption more affordable for families. As the only Foundation dedicated exclusively to foster care adoption, we are driven by Dave’s simple value: Do what’s best for the child. To learn more about the Foundation’s work, please visit www.DaveThomasFoundationforAdoption.org
Wendy’s International Inc. Overview
Wendy's International, Inc. (NYSE:WEN) is one of the world's largest and most successful restaurant operating and franchising companies. More information about the Company is available at www.wendys-invest.com
Saturday, June 23, 2007
Invite Richard Robinson to join FCAA
Teens In Foster Care Celebrate Graduation
Relyea, Neil. WCPO - Cincinnati,OH, June 20, 2007.
It takes hard work and determination for anyone to graduate high school, but for 34 young adults honored on Tuesday night, it took a lot extra.
Hamilton County's foster care system celebrated the teens' triumph at the University of Cincinnati's Tangeman University Center (TUC).
Richard Robinson has been in the foster care system for the past two years.
He hopes to attend UC in the fall with plans to become a psychologist.
He says he doesn't know where he'd be if it were not for foster care.
"I really don't know," said Richardson. "I think I would have been in prison."
"It was a very fortunate thing that I got into independent living, because it enabled me to basically take care of myself and had people who really supported and cared about me," added Richardson.
Besides celebrating their graduation, it was also a chance for the graduates to learn more about college life.
Relyea, Neil. WCPO - Cincinnati,OH, June 20, 2007.
It takes hard work and determination for anyone to graduate high school, but for 34 young adults honored on Tuesday night, it took a lot extra.
Hamilton County's foster care system celebrated the teens' triumph at the University of Cincinnati's Tangeman University Center (TUC).
Richard Robinson has been in the foster care system for the past two years.
He hopes to attend UC in the fall with plans to become a psychologist.
He says he doesn't know where he'd be if it were not for foster care.
"I really don't know," said Richardson. "I think I would have been in prison."
"It was a very fortunate thing that I got into independent living, because it enabled me to basically take care of myself and had people who really supported and cared about me," added Richardson.
Besides celebrating their graduation, it was also a chance for the graduates to learn more about college life.
Brian Thompson celebrates his high school graduation
From foster care to college campus
Brooks-Higgins, Candice. Hamilton Journal News, June 18, 2007.
Brian Thompson said he simply wanted something better for himself.
That's why, after spending five years in Butler County's foster care system, the 18-year-old has graduated in the top 30 of his class at Goshen High School in Clermont County and is headed to Wilmington College in the fall.
Brian Thompson will celebrate his graduation from Goshen High School with his foster mother, Regina Baucom, and several other foster children from Butler County Children Services who have graduated from high school this year.
"I wanted to be better than I guess what I've always been raised with," Thompson said. "It seems like foster care is a repeating thing. It's like kids who are in foster care are not being really successful and then their kids go into foster care. I just wanted to be different and have a better life for myself."
Graduating from high school makes Thompson a victor over the grim statistics facing the 35 foster youth on average who age out of Butler County's foster system each year.
Approximately 58 percent of former foster youth in the Midwest had a high school diploma at age 19, compared to 87 percent of nonfoster youth nationally, according to a 2005 University of Chicago study.
There are even tougher odds to beat to graduate from college. Of youth who aged out of foster care and are older than 25, less than 3 percent earned their college degrees, based on a 2005 survey of Northwest foster alumni by Casey Family Programs. That's far less than the 28 percent nationally who were college graduates in 2004, according the U.S. Census Bureau.
But, Thompson had help to get this far and his foster mother Regina Baucom said she and her husband, Dave, aren't going anywhere. Thompson's
16-year-old brother, Tony, still lives with the couple and their teenage foster daughter.
Baucom took Thompson on college visits and he had cash incentives for good grades: $5 for every A, down to a $10 loss for an F, Baucom said.
"He broke me all the time," Baucom laughed.
Everyday before Thompson left for school, his foster father, Dave, who spent his childhood in foster care, shared a Bible scripture with the family. His caseworker, Abby Sexton, also nagged him to fill out paper work and meet deadlines to be prepared for college.
"There were my constant annoying reminders," said Sexton, Thompson's caseworker for the past four years. "'Brian, did you do this? Brian, where's the paper? Brian, give me the paper.'"
Thompson will start his freshman year with two academic scholarships and likely enough financial aid to cover his full need, he said. Foster children are given special consideration when applying for federal student aid and Ohio's Education and Training Program pays them up to $5,000 for each year of college, Butler County Children Services Spokeswoman Denise Winkler said.
Thompson has come a long way from the angry boy who couldn't sleep the first night in the Baucoms' home. He played varsity football for three years in high school as a tight end and defensive end. Quiet though he may be, Thompson teaches lessons on Sundays at the Baucom's church, Flight of Life Baptist, and helps set up speakers and microphones at events for the Baucom's sound business.
"I don't know if I would have gone to college had I not gone to Gina's house," Thompson admitted. "When I first came in (to foster care), I didn't think about the future, really. Going to Gina's helped me realize there's better stuff. There's more to life than what I have."
Undecided about his major, Thompson said he plans to live on campus, where he hopes to meet new people.
But just in case he wants some familiarity, Baucom said, "(Wilmington is not very far) from home. So he can come home on the weekends to do his laundry."
Brooks-Higgins, Candice. Hamilton Journal News, June 18, 2007.
Brian Thompson said he simply wanted something better for himself.
That's why, after spending five years in Butler County's foster care system, the 18-year-old has graduated in the top 30 of his class at Goshen High School in Clermont County and is headed to Wilmington College in the fall.
Brian Thompson will celebrate his graduation from Goshen High School with his foster mother, Regina Baucom, and several other foster children from Butler County Children Services who have graduated from high school this year.
"I wanted to be better than I guess what I've always been raised with," Thompson said. "It seems like foster care is a repeating thing. It's like kids who are in foster care are not being really successful and then their kids go into foster care. I just wanted to be different and have a better life for myself."
Graduating from high school makes Thompson a victor over the grim statistics facing the 35 foster youth on average who age out of Butler County's foster system each year.
Approximately 58 percent of former foster youth in the Midwest had a high school diploma at age 19, compared to 87 percent of nonfoster youth nationally, according to a 2005 University of Chicago study.
There are even tougher odds to beat to graduate from college. Of youth who aged out of foster care and are older than 25, less than 3 percent earned their college degrees, based on a 2005 survey of Northwest foster alumni by Casey Family Programs. That's far less than the 28 percent nationally who were college graduates in 2004, according the U.S. Census Bureau.
But, Thompson had help to get this far and his foster mother Regina Baucom said she and her husband, Dave, aren't going anywhere. Thompson's
16-year-old brother, Tony, still lives with the couple and their teenage foster daughter.
Baucom took Thompson on college visits and he had cash incentives for good grades: $5 for every A, down to a $10 loss for an F, Baucom said.
"He broke me all the time," Baucom laughed.
Everyday before Thompson left for school, his foster father, Dave, who spent his childhood in foster care, shared a Bible scripture with the family. His caseworker, Abby Sexton, also nagged him to fill out paper work and meet deadlines to be prepared for college.
"There were my constant annoying reminders," said Sexton, Thompson's caseworker for the past four years. "'Brian, did you do this? Brian, where's the paper? Brian, give me the paper.'"
Thompson will start his freshman year with two academic scholarships and likely enough financial aid to cover his full need, he said. Foster children are given special consideration when applying for federal student aid and Ohio's Education and Training Program pays them up to $5,000 for each year of college, Butler County Children Services Spokeswoman Denise Winkler said.
Thompson has come a long way from the angry boy who couldn't sleep the first night in the Baucoms' home. He played varsity football for three years in high school as a tight end and defensive end. Quiet though he may be, Thompson teaches lessons on Sundays at the Baucom's church, Flight of Life Baptist, and helps set up speakers and microphones at events for the Baucom's sound business.
"I don't know if I would have gone to college had I not gone to Gina's house," Thompson admitted. "When I first came in (to foster care), I didn't think about the future, really. Going to Gina's helped me realize there's better stuff. There's more to life than what I have."
Undecided about his major, Thompson said he plans to live on campus, where he hopes to meet new people.
But just in case he wants some familiarity, Baucom said, "(Wilmington is not very far) from home. So he can come home on the weekends to do his laundry."
Ohio foster parents and privacy issues
Lawyer: Open up foster care records
Craig, Jon. Cincinnati Enquirer, June 14, 2007.
COLUMBUS – An attorney for the Enquirer joined an Ohio Newspaper Association lobbyist today in arguing for more public access to foster care records – not increased privacy, as proposed in the Ohio House.
“Anyone who lives in southwestern Ohio will remember for years to come the events of last summer, when the story of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel rallied us, and then horrified us,” said John C. Greiner, a Cincinnati attorney representing the Enquirer.
Marcus died in August when his foster parents left him tied up in a closet when they went on a weekend trip to Kentucky. Liz and David Carroll Jr. were later convicted in his murder.
“The public came to know Marcus’ foster parents only when it was too late to raise concerns about their fitness,’’ Greiner testified. “And what the public learned made all of us question why that boy was placed in that house. It is important to remember that Marcus Fiesel died not because the public knew too much about his situation, but because the public knew too little.”
A March 4 newspaper story was a focus of today’s debate in the House Committee on Juvenile & Family Law. The Enquirer reported that Hamilton County court officials discovered 27 foster parents were arrested for charges ranging from child endangering to assault, domestic violence, receiving stolen property, menacing and welfare fraud.
Frank Deaner, executive director of the Ohio Newspaper Association, said he can’t see how a blanket exemption of public records helps solve problems raised by the Marcus Fiesel case.
“We fail to see how completely shielding all records of foster parents will somehow make the system safer for other foster children,’’ Deaner testified. “In fact, we believe that, as written, House Bill 214 will put foster children at greater risk than they are under current law.”
State Rep. Diana Fessler, a Republican from New Carlisle, took the rare initiative of testifying against closing public records. Fessler, a committee member, is from New Carlisle, where Lifeway For Youth is headquartered.
Lifeway placed Marcus in the Carrolls’ Clermont County home and is defending its foster care license in state hearings that are expected to conclude Thursday.
Fessler and Rep. Jennifer Garrison, a Democrat from Marietta, said they favor more scrutiny of foster care agencies, case workers and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services – not less, and said watchdog groups and the media should have increased access to such information.
A deputy sheriff from Logan County, child service officials from Cuyahoga and Lucas counties and foster parent, meanwhile, testified today that children and their foster parents might be endangered by publicizing their names.
“I only ask that we be left with some privacy when issues of safety could be involved so we have the ability to not only keep the children in our home safe, but our family as well,’’ said Matthew Coleman of Toledo, who said he’s been a foster parent to countless children during the past 10 years.
Deaner and Greiner said a proposed House amendment that would release the names and other details about foster parents only after their license is revoked is not adequate.
“We cannot bring Marcus back, but perhaps we can honor his legacy by ensuring that such a tragedy never reoccurs,” Greiner said.
Craig, Jon. Cincinnati Enquirer, June 14, 2007.
COLUMBUS – An attorney for the Enquirer joined an Ohio Newspaper Association lobbyist today in arguing for more public access to foster care records – not increased privacy, as proposed in the Ohio House.
“Anyone who lives in southwestern Ohio will remember for years to come the events of last summer, when the story of 3-year-old Marcus Fiesel rallied us, and then horrified us,” said John C. Greiner, a Cincinnati attorney representing the Enquirer.
Marcus died in August when his foster parents left him tied up in a closet when they went on a weekend trip to Kentucky. Liz and David Carroll Jr. were later convicted in his murder.
“The public came to know Marcus’ foster parents only when it was too late to raise concerns about their fitness,’’ Greiner testified. “And what the public learned made all of us question why that boy was placed in that house. It is important to remember that Marcus Fiesel died not because the public knew too much about his situation, but because the public knew too little.”
A March 4 newspaper story was a focus of today’s debate in the House Committee on Juvenile & Family Law. The Enquirer reported that Hamilton County court officials discovered 27 foster parents were arrested for charges ranging from child endangering to assault, domestic violence, receiving stolen property, menacing and welfare fraud.
Frank Deaner, executive director of the Ohio Newspaper Association, said he can’t see how a blanket exemption of public records helps solve problems raised by the Marcus Fiesel case.
“We fail to see how completely shielding all records of foster parents will somehow make the system safer for other foster children,’’ Deaner testified. “In fact, we believe that, as written, House Bill 214 will put foster children at greater risk than they are under current law.”
State Rep. Diana Fessler, a Republican from New Carlisle, took the rare initiative of testifying against closing public records. Fessler, a committee member, is from New Carlisle, where Lifeway For Youth is headquartered.
Lifeway placed Marcus in the Carrolls’ Clermont County home and is defending its foster care license in state hearings that are expected to conclude Thursday.
Fessler and Rep. Jennifer Garrison, a Democrat from Marietta, said they favor more scrutiny of foster care agencies, case workers and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services – not less, and said watchdog groups and the media should have increased access to such information.
A deputy sheriff from Logan County, child service officials from Cuyahoga and Lucas counties and foster parent, meanwhile, testified today that children and their foster parents might be endangered by publicizing their names.
“I only ask that we be left with some privacy when issues of safety could be involved so we have the ability to not only keep the children in our home safe, but our family as well,’’ said Matthew Coleman of Toledo, who said he’s been a foster parent to countless children during the past 10 years.
Deaner and Greiner said a proposed House amendment that would release the names and other details about foster parents only after their license is revoked is not adequate.
“We cannot bring Marcus back, but perhaps we can honor his legacy by ensuring that such a tragedy never reoccurs,” Greiner said.
Wednesday, June 06, 2007
Details leak about upcoming legislation
Building a broader state budget
GOP tries to help foster kids, poor families
Marshall, Aaron. Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 5, 2007.
Columbus- An ambitious plan for higher education offered by Senate Republicans will hold the spotlight, but lawmakers have been working behind-the- scenes on other changes to the state budget that will be rolled out this afternoon.
Topping the list of other changes in the latest version of the state budget: A pair of proposals to increase spending of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) money and a second pair that would affect Ohio's foster children.
With the changes expected to be included in a substitute bill that will be officially announced today, Republican lawmakers on Monday were coy about the details embedded in the state's $52 billion spending blueprint. But details began to leak out anyway.
GOP tries to help foster kids, poor families
Marshall, Aaron. Cleveland Plain Dealer, June 5, 2007.
Columbus- An ambitious plan for higher education offered by Senate Republicans will hold the spotlight, but lawmakers have been working behind-the- scenes on other changes to the state budget that will be rolled out this afternoon.
Topping the list of other changes in the latest version of the state budget: A pair of proposals to increase spending of Temporary Assistance to Needy Families (TANF) money and a second pair that would affect Ohio's foster children.
With the changes expected to be included in a substitute bill that will be officially announced today, Republican lawmakers on Monday were coy about the details embedded in the state's $52 billion spending blueprint. But details began to leak out anyway.
Lifeway for Youth -- the agency that wouldn't die
Marcus Fiesel's Foster Agency Fights to Keep Ohio License
Price, Bill. WCPO - Cincinnati,OH, June 5, 2007.
A hearing continues tomorrow on whether the state should revoke the license of the foster agency in the Fiesel case.
Lifeway for Youth placed Marcus Feisel with David and Liz Carroll, who killed him.
Today attorneys for the agency alleged that a state licensing specialist was biased in her investigation of Lifeway after Marcus's death.
Yesterday that specialist detailed errors on foster care applications as well as foster parents' failure to attend all the required training, including the Carrolls.
Price, Bill. WCPO - Cincinnati,OH, June 5, 2007.
A hearing continues tomorrow on whether the state should revoke the license of the foster agency in the Fiesel case.
Lifeway for Youth placed Marcus Feisel with David and Liz Carroll, who killed him.
Today attorneys for the agency alleged that a state licensing specialist was biased in her investigation of Lifeway after Marcus's death.
Yesterday that specialist detailed errors on foster care applications as well as foster parents' failure to attend all the required training, including the Carrolls.
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