The Western Region of the Utah Foster Parent Program is seeking people to provide a safe haven for children while their own families heal.
Currently, Utah has only 950 foster homes available for the 2,350 children in foster care."Because there aren't enough foster homes, we end up placing children wherever is available," said Laura Ackerman, the Western Region foster parent trainer and recruiter. "The kids end up being in shelters or group homes longer because there is nowhere else for them to go."
Foster parents will receive training on how to deal with abused and neglected children from the Division of Family Services and are eligible to receive compensation for the children's food, clothing and shelter. Children range in ages from infants to 17 years old.
Parents need to have good physical and emotional health, must be at least 21 years old, and must have a stable income to provide for their own financial needs. In addition, parents need to provide a clean home and a separate bed for each foster child. A background check will be run on prospective parents.
Homes with one stay-at-home parent are especially needed. In addition, the program is seeking parents for sibling groups, minority children, teenagers and medically fragile infants.
"A lot of these foster children have never seen a functional family work, yet we expect them to act as if they have when they reach society," Ackerman said.
Other volunteer opportunities are available throughout Utah County. Some of them include:
- Give children a memorable Christmas and teach valuable skills to parents. Sub-for-Santa, a program that provides Christmas gifts to children of homeless and low-income families, is seeking volunteers to teach parents self-sufficiency by providing informational "Make-It-Take-It" workshops to recipients' parents. The classes help parents improve budgeting skills, learn Christmas traditions and make low-cost gifts. Volunteers are needed to teach workshops on making low-cost Christmas gifts or crafts, Saturday and Wednesday evenings from Nov. 8 through Dec. 13.
- Teach needy children with disabilities. The Provo Early Education Program is seeking volunteers bilingual in Spanish or sign language to work with children with disabilities. The program serves children from birth to 3 years old who have developmental delays. Volunteers will receive training and can help anytime Monday through Friday. The program is also searching for volunteers to do clerical work during office hours.
- Learn office skills while volunteering. The National Kidney Foundation is looking for volunteers to help in their office by answering phones and entering information in the computer. Volunteers should have good verbal and communication skills and should be willing to commit two hours per week. The foundation will teach the necessary Excel and MS Word skills. Two-hour shifts are available Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For more information about these and other volunteer opportunities throughout Utah County, contact the United Way Volunteer Center at 374-8108 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday or visit the United Way of Utah County web site at (www.utahcounty.unitedway.org).