A successful mentoring program for foster children in Fairfax County, Va., is on the verge of being cut, according to a March 14 Washington Post article by Henri E. Cauvin:

Families4Kids was created five years ago by the county to build bonds between community volunteers and some the county's foster children. ... Mentors provide one-on-one support and participate in monthly group activities.

In the social-services budget of about $211 million, Families4Kids is a $133,000 blip, fueled largely by the work of the volunteers. But with the county executive requiring more than $6 million in cuts from the Department of Family Services for the coming fiscal year, the program is on the chopping block.

Officials say they concluded that cutting Families4Kids would not only save the county at least a small portion of that $6 million but would accelerate their efforts to apply the lessons of the program to many more of the county's 360 or so foster children.

Labels: foster care, mentors

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On the University of Georgia  Athens campus, a group has begun mentoring Asian adoptees, helping them learn and understand more about the countries in which they were born. The Asian Children Mentoring Program (ACMP) pairs an Asian university student with an adopted child from a local Athens family.

"In addition to providing mentors, the organization sponsors one community-based cultural event for the children each semester. Last semester, the organization sponsored an Autumn Moon Festival including crafts, storytelling and traditional food for the children."

The ACMP currently has about 20 members, and became an official school organization in November of last year. Read more at RedandBlack.com.

Labels: mentors, adoptees, cultures

Posted By: Aspen Education Group 0 Comments