Link to Utah Foster Care Foundation
July 13, 2000
The LDS Church is about to officially put its support behind the Utah Foster Care Foundation. Governor Leavitt will make that announcement Monday.
The Governor wanted the privately-funded foundation, specifically to recruit and train families. The foundation says because there are so many foster children, it needs the religious community's help.
In his 1998 State of the State address, Governor Leavitt made a plea for residents to open their hearts and homes to foster children. He also had a desire to create a private foundation that would recruit and train families.
Three months later, businesses, organizations and churches helped form The Utah Foster Care Foundation. But there are still some 2,400 children in the state who need families, and only about 1,100 licensed foster homes.
The LDS Church is increasing its support of the foundation now, since many children needing foster care, are church members.
The foundation's president calls this help from the religious community huge.
Dallis Pierson, Pres. Utah Foster Care Foundation: "IT HELPS US TO ENSURE WE HAVE A PLACEMENT FOR A CHILD THAT CAN BE REFLECTIVE OF THE ENVIRONMENT THAT THEY CAME FROM."
Richard and Patti Johnson were new foster parents a year ago when they and their five children took in four siblings, whose parents had severe drug abuse problems.
The Johnsons helped the children and trained their parents to learn how to raise them. That family is now reunited.
Patti Johnson, Foster Parent: "IT'S SO AWESOME TO SEE THESE FAMILIES BACK TOGETHER, AND BEING ABLE TO BE THE KIND OF FAMILY THAT THEY'VE ALWAYS WANTED TO BE, BUT DIDN'T QUITE KNOW HOW TO."
Richard Johnson, Foster Parent: "AND THAT'S ONE OF THE BENEFITS WE GOT FROM FOSTER PARENTING, IS OUR HORIZONS BROADENED A LITTLE BIT. WE'VE BECOME A LITTLE MORE UNDERSTANDING OF PEOPLE THAT MAYBE DON'T SEE THINGS THE WAY WE DO, OR BELIEVE THINGS THE WAY WE DO, BUT STILL DESERVE RESPECT AND UNDERSTANDING AND ACCEPTANCE."
The Utah Foster Care Foundation has set a goal to recruit 400 more families to help children in need before the end of the year.
For more information go to Utahfostercare.Org
