FrameWorks: Strengthening West Virginia Families

Written by Guest Post on October 23, 2009

By Carrie Robey

“Even as the cell is the unit of the organic body, so the family is the unit of society.”
– Ruth Nanda Ansehn

In the lives of children, families are the building blocks, providing a place of encouragement, a place to build dreams and a place to grow. A positive and encouraging family helps children learn acceptable social behavior and personal values are nurtured. Healthy families lead to healthy, growing and stable communities.

However, not every family provides a stable foundation and many children in our state suffer abuse and/or neglect. FrameWorks, an initiative of Mission West Virginia, recruits potential foster/adoptive families who can provide love and support.

Currently, there are around 4,000 children in West Virginia’s foster care system, approximately 1,000 of which are legally eligible for adoption – meaning their parents’ rights have been voluntarily relinquished or have been terminated through an involuntary legal process.

Families: The Building Blocks of Society

Many of these children have been waiting years for a forever family and need the love and support of our communities to empower their lives and provide the building blocks they need to become productive citizens.

When you need a shoulder to cry on or someone to laugh with, who do you seek out? Personally, I turn to my mother and many other relatives. Imagine being a child born into a family of abuse and/or neglect, growing up in the foster care system, having minimal items that belong to you, and not having a single relative to count on.

You have the power to make all the difference in a child’s life and help build stronger communities in our state. If you or someone you know would like to consider adopting, fostering or supporting a child, please phone 866-CALL-MWV or visit the FrameWorks blog.

Readers, please share your experiences with adoption and/or foster care and provide suggestions on how you think we can work together to empower the lives of youth going through difficult times.

— Robey is Mission West Virginia’s director of public relations

Posted in Education, West Virginia