Fundraiser for Shelter, Inc.

Please consider supporting Shelter, Inc. in this annual fundraiser.  Shelter Inc. is a licensed foster care agency  in Arlington Heights, IL, whose mission is to help and protect children who are abused, neglected, dependent or in need of supervision.  For more information visit www.shelter-inc.org. British Car Festival Supports Shelter again in 2012

Come Experience the British Cars of Yesterday and Today

For many years, the British Car Festival has generously made Shelter the recipient of charitable donations collected in lieu of admission to their annual Festival. Once again, Shelter will be charity of choice at the British Car Festival.   British Car and Motorcycle enthusiasts will be out enjoying the exquisite collection of cars, food, entertainment and more. We invite you come out and enjoy the Festival! Sunday, September 9th  9:00 am - 3:00 pm Harper College, Palatine, IL Fore more information: www.britishcarunion.com

Toy Drive for D.C.F.S. Makeover

For the next two weekends, the Vulnerable Children's ministry is teaming up with the Construction ministry at Willow Creek to do a makeover on the visitation room at the D.C.F.S. office in Elgin. 

The visitation room is where children and families meet to participate in supervised visits.  In some cases, this is the only place a child ever sees their parent(s) and siblings.  So as you can imagine, it is a very important place to those children.  The room is used on an ongoing basis, but unfortunately is in extreme need of a make-over.

Before: worn, dirty or unusable furniture. 

Before: worn, dirty, broken and unusable toys.
 Stay tuned for the after pictures!

The construction and design team has prayerfully considered each element in the room to make it a warm, inviting and special place for families to visit.  The castle themed room will have new paint and flooring, custom built cabinets, movable seating areas, a custom built toy box on wheels, a dress-up area, a game/coloring area, and a custom built reading throne for all the princes and princesses that will visit.  

But we need your help.  Due to the poor condition of the current toys and books, we will be replacing them.  We have set up an amazon.com "wish list" with the toys and books that are needed, and are asking people to go shopping on line and help us replenish the toys and books.  Here's all you need to do:

1. Go to www.amazon.com

2. Click on "wish list" in the top right hand corner.

3. Click on "find a wish list" on the drop down menu.

4. Type in "a2012makeover@hotmail.com"  There you will find about 125 different items to choose from. 

The Wish List includes a ship-to address, so whatever item you choose, it can be sent to Doug & Marie Kyllo who will transport all the donated items to the new room.

Donated Amazon.com gift cards are also welcome. 

We would be grateful if you would spread the word to your small group, colleagues, family & friends so that we can fill the room with toys and books that will help facilitate positive memories for the children and their parents. Please purchase all donations a.s.a.p. so the room can be finished by August 11th.

Thank you for your consideration.

New Resource for Foster Care Agencies

Breaking the Ice Between Birth and Foster Parents

Gone are the days when child protection systems "saved" children by whisking them away from struggling families. Today, much more is known about the protective qualities of family relationships, and working to keep birth families involved in caring for their children while in foster care is an essential role for child welfare systems. While team decision-making and other elements are critical in this process, a new publication describes how icebreaker meetings between birth and foster parents can be especially critical in supporting children who have entered out-of-home care or changed placements.

Building working relationships between birth parents, foster parents, and caseworkers can be extremely important for foster children, and using Icebreaker meetings can be an effective mechanism for doing that. However, to be successful, an agency seeking to introduce Icebreakers must understand how the practice works. This publication is designed to:

• Give agencies an overview of Icebreaker meetings;
• Describe a work group process for planning and implementing Icebreaker meetings;
• Identify common barriers and roadblocks to successful implementation of Icebreaker meetings;
• Identify implementation steps that are often overlooked or missed;
• Share successes and examples of agencies using Icebreaker meetings;
• Share samples of Icebreaker documents and materials developed by agencies from across the country; and
• Provide a self-assessment tool to guide your planning and implementation.

For more information visit http://www.aecf.org/OurWork/ChildWelfarePermanence/IcebreakerMeetings.aspx