Foster Family Support Town Hall

The following article was published in the Alameda County Social Services Agency (ACSSA) newsletter dated May 16, 2024.

Board of Supervisor David Haubert (District 1) hosted a Foster Family Support Town Hall on May 8, 2024 in Livermore. Supervisor Haubert’s goal is that every foster parent have four people to provide support to them while they are caring for Alameda County’s foster youth. This support can come in a variety of ways: someone to talk to you, encourage you, provide respite, cook a meal, etc.

Present at the Town Hall were a number of foster family agencies and groups that support foster parents. Children and Family Services staff, Division Director Mia Buckner-Preston, Program Manager Jef Samp, and Recruiter Felicia Brown-Goins presented on “How to Become a Resource Family Caregiver.” 

Alameda County’s Foster Parent Association was represented by President Gwen McWilliams and Vice President Charles Bracey. People in the audience felt encouraged to either become a foster parent or lend support in some way.

Why Support the ACFPA Scholarships?

From its re-launch in late 2016 through 2023, ACFPA’s scholarship fund has awarded over $35,000 to 146 Alameda County families to supplement the cost of enrichment and academic activities for kids in care. Kids who were awarded scholarships have enjoyed summer and winter camps, swim lessons, gymnastics classes, choir, dance, soccer, martial arts and have used the scholarships to pay for tutoring for academic support.

There is no doubt that extracurricular activities are beneficial for all kids but they are critical for foster kids. According to the Youth Law Center, extracurricular activities can ensure healthy development by building resilience, improving self-efficacy, developing a positive self-identity and counteracting the harmful effects of trauma. Additionally, they can promote positive relationships, leading to improved placement stability.

Since cost can be a barrier to participating in these activities, the ACFPA scholarships are a good resource for caregivers. Please visit our Fundraising page and help ACFPA grow its scholarship programs and reach more kids and families.

Donate

If you are an ACFPA member/caregiver, please consider taking advantage of the ACFPA scholarship program to support the kids in your care. It is easy to apply and this step by step checklist can walk you through the process.

Students Organize Donation Drive for Diapers and Wipes

Hello we are Fraser Bissett, Kyler Buckhout and Mayer Shaffer. We are 8th Grade students at Joe Michell TK-8th school in Livermore.

Joe Michell School is an International Baccalaureate School and each year, the 8th grade students complete a community project. The community project focuses on community and service, and encourages us to explore our right and responsibility to implement service as action.

We knew from the start that we wanted our project to support children, and in researching local organizations, we came across the Alameda County Foster Parent Association and quickly thereafter the clothing closet run by Joyce.

After emailing Joyce, she identified that the clothing closet was always in need of diapers and wipes and so we made a donation request video and poster that we used to reach out to our families and local community to ask for donations. We also attended a give and take event that was held at our school and run by Friends of Joe Michell School (FJMS). FJMS allowed us to set up a booth where we talked to people about the clothing closet, shared the video of Joyce and the work that she does, while collecting diapers, wipes and cash donations.

Over the course of our diapers and wipes donation drive, we were able to buy over $900 worth of diapers and wipes. We are so appreciative of our local community for supporting this donation drive and thankful for the guidance we received from Joyce to help us make this happen.