COUNTYWIDE : Picnic Planned for 600 Foster Families
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More than 600 county foster families are expected today at Irvine Regional Park for a picnic sponsored by the Orange County Foster Care Auxiliary.
Barbara Labitzke, the county’s foster home development coordinator, said the event is both a celebration of the volunteer service performed by foster care families and a bid to raise public awareness of the need for foster parents.
“The number of reports of suspected child abuse continues to rise, and the number of babies born addicted to drugs has escalated alarmingly,” she said.
“Foster parents provide a loving environment where these vulnerable children can heal and grow until they return to their families or another permanent home.”
Today’s festivities, underwritten by the Orangewood Children’s Foundation, include pony and horseback riding for the children, a Ferris wheel, swings and a firetruck. County Social Service Agency officials are expected to be volunteer chefs.
For information about how to become a foster parent, call Orange County Foster Care Information, (714) 532-7777, or the Southern Area Fostercare Effort, (1-800) 426-2233.
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