Vol. 7, No. 1• November 2002

News from the President of the N.C. Foster Parents Association

By Sheryl Ewing, President of the N.C. Foster Parents Association

As you know, the mission of the North Carolina Foster Parents Association (NCFPA) is to promote quality foster and adoptive services through collaborative advocacy, education, resources, and networking. To accomplish this broad mission, this year we are focusing on several objectives.

First, we are working to establish organized communications between foster parents and agency staff, and between foster parents and local, state, and national associations. On a state level we are working toward this goal by publishing our own newsletter and contributing articles to Fostering Perspectives. By actively participating in community foster parent associations, our board members are also seeking to create channels of support and communication between the statewide NCFPA and local foster parent associations. Please know that as an organization we are available to help you start a local foster parent association if you do not have one.

This year the NCFPA is also working to help foster parents across the state develop themselves professionally. As part of this effort we are holding our annual conference, which will occur on November 16 and 17 in Durham and feature many workshops and opportunities for sharing information. We also actively encourage additional foster parent training in local areas. One example of an upcoming local training is Coming Together, a conference that will offer 5 hours of foster parent training in Wilmington on February 17, 2003. For more information about this event, contact the Family Support Network of Southeastern North Carolina at 910/792-6133.

To achieve its overall mission the NCFPA also promotes its interests and purpose with the National Foster Parent Association, to which it belongs. If you are not already a member, I encourage you to join both the N.C. Foster Parents Association and the National Foster Parent Association.

We would love to have more of our membership involved as we pursue our goals this year. Please contact us if you would like to volunteer. You can contact me by phone (910/792-6133, work), e-mail ([email protected]), or fax (910/792-6132).

As foster parents we play a very important part in improving the lives of foster children in North Carolina. I believe that through the North Carolina Foster Parents Association we can make an even bigger contribution. Thank you for all that you do for children.

Association to Elect New Board Members at November Conference

Now is the time to join or renew your membership with the N.C. Foster Parents Association. At our November conference you will have the chance to exercise two of the most exciting rights membership in the association confers: the right to vote in the election of our board of directors and, if you wish, the right to seek election to the NCFPA board of directors.

Unfortunately this newsletter will probably go to press after registration for the November conference closes, so you may have missed your chance to attend this event if you have not already registered. (To find out, visit the NCFPA web site.) Even so, if you are an NCFPA member and want your name to be included on the ballot, it may not be too late. If you want to be considered for election to the board, contact us right away.

Other Ways to Serve

Even if you are not on the board of directors, there are many ways you can serve the association. Following is a listing of our committees, each of which would benefit from your expertise:

  • Infrastructure and Organizational Committee: Focuses on the organizational structure of the association, including by-laws, strategic planning, and board development.

  • Finance and Budget Committee: Focuses on monitoring and maintaining the association’s budget and finances, and on membership activities and other fundraising strategies, including grant writing, donations, etc.

  • Communications Committee: Focuses on both internal communications (membership directories, newsletter, etc.) and external communications (publicity, media relations, web page).

  • Program Committee: Focuses on the “program” activities of the association—the services the association offers to foster, adoptive, and kinship parents, such as the annual conference.

Copyright � 2002 Jordan Institute for Families