FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE - April 1, 2005
Contact:
Lee Mullane (203) 401-6932
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Casey Family Services Foster Parent Conference This Weekend
This weekend Casey Family Services will advance the important work of permanency with the Foster Parent Conference on April 2 and 3, at the Marriott Copley Place in Boston, Massachusetts. "Children, Families and Communities: Connections Count for a Lifetime" promises to be a highlight of our year. This special event will bring together more than 500 foster parents, Casey alumni, adoptive parents, Casey staff and leading experts for a free exchange of ideas, information and strategies that improve the lives of children.
The 2005 slate of key speakers features:
Geoffrey Canada, President and CEO of the Harlem Children's Zone, an organization featured in The New York Times Magazine.
Victoria Rowell, Casey Families Services National Spokesperson and well-known actress. Rowell, a former foster child from Maine, is a leading advocate for children in care.
Bob Danzig, a former foster youth and past CEO of the Hearst Newspaper Group, one of the nation's largest publishing groups.
Of course, the real stars of the Foster Parent Conference are the parents themselves. This year, more than 100 foster parents will be honored for their years of service to Casey and children, with a record-breaking number of them reaching five-, 10-, 15- and 20-year milestones. A special multimedia presentation is in the works to help celebrate this group's contributions as foster parents.
In terms of training, more than 30 conference workshops will focus on reducing barriers to adoption, helping children maintain connections with their birth families and developing strategies to blend permanency and preparation for adulthood to teens transitioning out of the system.
For more information about the Harlem Children's Zone and Geoffrey Canada, go to www.hcz.org. For more information about Victoria Rowell and her foundation, go to www.rowellfosterchildren.org. For more information about Bob Danzig, go to www.bobdanzig.com.
For more information, contact Casey Family Services at (203) 401-6965 or visit the website at www.caseyfamilyservices.org.