Asheville WNC Foster/Adopt Fall Festival on November 14, 2009

Event: The WNC Foster/Adopt Fall Festival brought to you by Buncombe County DSS and WNC Foster Care Agencies

Where: The Coleman Place - 3rd floor of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce 36 Montford Avenue in downtown Asheville

When: Saturday, November 14th, 2009, from 2 – 5 pm  (Drop in anytime)

What:

• Learn how to become a foster and/or adoptive parent;

• Find out more about children who need a family right now;

• Talk to families who have fostered and adopted;

• Talk to youth who are (or who have been) in the system;

• Bring your own kids – there will be arts & crafts activities for them, face painting and light snacks.

** Admission – and parking – are FREE! **

The WNC Foster/Adopt Fall Festival in Asheville North Carolina

Children who age out of foster care without being adopted have a very high chance of ending up homeless or in the prison system within a year after leaving the foster care system. Why? Because children need caring, stable adults in their lives to support them in making a healthy transition to adulthood! Come learn how you can change a child’s life forever.

This year’s Foster/Adopt Fall Festival will be held at the Coleman Place – which is on the 3rd floor of the Asheville Chamber of Commerce – on Saturday, November 14th from 2-5 in the afternoon. The event is hosted by the Buncombe County Department of Social Services and WNC foster care agencies. Sponsors include: Volvo, Printville, and Mountain to Sea Aquatics.

This fun, free event focuses on increasing community awareness of all the multitude of ways in which people can help kids – including foster care, adoption, therapeutic respite, mentoring, sponsoring, etc. Anyone who wants to work for or with children is bound to have a good time!

There is a strong emphasis on finding foster and adoptive homes. But by inviting both the general public and the participating agencies to interact, network, and learn from each other, we hope that there will be an overall increase in understanding of how we can all help children – whether it’s through adoption, fostering, supporting, or our choice of careers. It is through this sort of community collaboration that the children have the best hope of finding themselves supported by loving and understanding foster/adoptive homes and by quality services.

Popular sections of the Foster/Adopt Fall Festival include:

1. The main “General Information” area – where agencies from across WNC will set up tables and provide information about becoming a foster or adoptive parent.

2. An area of “Child-Specific Recruitment” – where people can learn more about the children who are currently needing adoptive homes. This area will feature the children’s photos, their profiles…and their social workers will also be in attendance to speak with families directly.

3. An opportunity to “Talk to a Family Right Here” – a popular section that is staffed by foster and adoptive parents so that people can talk to a family about what the experience is like.

4. And, of course, a fun “Kids Area” – complete with arts & crafts, face painting, music, light snacks, and more.

We hope that this will be a way for people interested in adoption to learn more, have their questions answered, and possibly even learn about a child who belongs in their lives.

We hope that you – and 20 of your best friends – can stop by!

Please call me anytime for more information!

Erica Jourdan,
Recruitment Specialist, Buncombe County DSS
828-775-2404 or email: erica.jourdan@buncombecounty.org