Illinois Families Now and Forever

              2004 • Volume 3 Foster Parent Appreciation • Edition
FAMILIES
Now and
Forever
Illinois Department of Children and Family Services©
ILLINOIS
Bryan Samuels
Families by Foster Care, Adoption and Guardianship
From the DCFS Director
®
FOSTER OUR FUTURE
Dear Foster
Parents:
May is desig-nated
Foster
Parent Appre-ciation
Month in Illinois – a time
when the spotlight shines on foster
parents. Many of you will
participate in activities observing
Foster Parent Appreciation
Month. Some of you may even be
recognized for your role as a
foster parent. But I want to
extend a sincere thank you to all
foster parents, not just the ones
who have received awards.
Being a parent is challenging. Add
to it a child who is biologically not
yours, has been abused or
neglected, and may have some
bonding or social issues and the
challenge may be overwhelming.
But you chose to take on responsi-bilities
not everyone can handle:
numerous doctor’s visits, school
visits, attending counseling ses-sions,
organizing sibling visits,
continuous foster parent training,
caring for children with disabilit-ies,
and sometimes dealing with
destructive behavior. In addition
to these responsibilities, many of
you also work full-time jobs and
care for your biological children.
And for that show of love, you
deserve to be recognized always,
not just in the month of May.
Thanks to you, children in foster
care have learned to love and
trust again. You have encouraged
these children to move forward
and you have supported their
dreams. You have opened up a
world of possibilities for them and
maybe even one day they will
open their hearts and homes to a
child. And for that, I am truly
grateful for your commitment.
There is no greater way to make
a difference in the life of a child
than to be a loving, supportive
foster parent. Thank you for
choosing to help DCFS raise our
children.