The annual ECS Foster/Kinship Care holiday party plays an integral role in the program’s success. It’s a way for birth parents to spend time with their children who are in care and serves as a recruiting and retention tool for foster parents. Of course, it’s also just a lot of fun, with food, dancing, crafts and Santa Claus. This year, the party was partially underwritten by Washington Memorial Chapel and staffed by volunteers from both Washington Memorial and Church of the Redeemer, Bryn Mawr.
Jennie Seward volunteered at the event last year with her two daughters. This year, she decided to organize a whole group from her fellow Church of the Redeemer parishioners. “I thought it would be great to get families involved.” Seward said. “I think a lot of people want to volunteer, but they want something they can do with their kids, not something that will take them away from their family when things are already so busy.”
Seward made a pitch for the volunteer event in her daughters’ Sunday school class and recruited 25 children and parents to help set up, clean up and run an arts and crafts table and face-painting station. Not only did they help make the event run more smoothly, the church youth engaged on a personal level with the children from the foster care program. Even better, with all those volunteers helping to occupy the younger children, the foster parents got a little break to socialize and eat their dinners. “I tell my kids how lucky they are, but it is nice for them to really experience it for themselves and see another side of things,” Seward said.
ForWashington Memorial Chapel, renewing the parish’s traditional involvement with the even after a hiatus was a major priority. Following a period of transition, the parish is finding renewed purpose in volunteer work. “It was a really well-coordinated event,” said Chuck Lewis, who helped organize the outing with fellow parishioner Faith Millen. We got to learn about the program and everyone enjoyed seeing all the children.”
View the facebook photo album for this event.
*Special thanks to David DeBalko for taking pictures of children with Santa Claus at the Foster/Kinship Care Party
