MWV has billboards!

Mission West Virginia has billboards going up throughout the state! We hope that those who see our board, give us a call! There are two billboards in Clarksburg and one in Fairmont. There are three more and we will give an update soon so you can seek them out.

If you do live in Clarksburg or you are in the area, you can see our billboards on Rt. 50 near Minard's Spaghetti on "dealership row" and on West Pike St. just off of Rt. 50 headed into downtown Clarksburg.

The board in Fairmont is on Locust Ave at Beverly St. near intersection routes 250 and 19.

And out of curiosity, do you pay attention to billboards when you are out and about? If so, what makes one catch your attention. Where do you go to seek out information?

Thanks for reading!

Support foster/adoptive programming and win!

The Hurricane Rite Aid has generously provided an Easter Basket valued at $216.87 to be raffled for a good cause. All funds raised from the raffle will be donated to Mission West Virginia’s FrameWorks program, which works to find loving families for foster children in WV.
The Easter Basket contains a Polaroid MegaPixel Camera, a remote control Mini Cooper, a Hurricane Redskin Hoodie, two Hurricane Redskin bears, Disney Pez, and a variety of candy and other goodies. You may purchase a one chance ticket for $1 or ten tickets for $5.

We hope if you live in the area you stop by and buy a few tickets!

Adoption/foster Resource Library

If you are interested in learning more about adoption, foster care, kinship care, child behavior, mental health, parenting, etc. it is likely that you will be able to find the information in the FrameWorks' Resource Library. A variety of books,DVDs, periodicals and articles are available for loan and three (3) books can be "checked out" at one time. (Photocopied copies of articles and other publications will be provided and will not count toward your borrowing limit).

To view a complete list of the resources available through the FrameWorks' Library, click on the following link: FRAMEWORKS RESOURCE LIBRARY

Books are due back three weeks from the date of being mailed or given to recipient. A pre-addressed and stamped mailing envelope will be provided. Materials should be returned via media mail. If books are not returned within one month , the borrowing party will be responsible for the replacement costs.

Borrowing requests may be made by phone (1-866-CALL-MWV/304-562-0723) or by e-mail (rprobst(at)missionwv.org).

Requests may be made for materials which are not currently available through the resource library. Materials will be purchased based on funding availability and relevance of topic.

Thanks for reading the FrameWorks Blog and please call us if you have any questions.
866-CALL-MWV

Thanks and have a great Wednesday!

FREE Relatives as Parents Legal Workshop

FREE Workshops on:

"What the Fostering Connections Act Means to You and Families" presented by Joanne M. Brown, JD, MSW, National Resource Center on Legal and Judicial Issues

AND

"An Overview of WV Grandparent Visitation and Minor Guardianship Law" presented by Honorable Mike Kelly, Eleventh Family Court Circuit.

When: Saturday, March 27, 2010 - 10AM to 3PM

Who Should Attend: Kinship families including grandparents raising grandchildren, Foster Parentes, Attorneys, Judges, FRN Directors, DHHR Staff, WVU Extension Services Staff, Private Agency Staff, CASA Staff and Volunteers, Social Workers, and other interested people.

Lunch and child care up to age 12 provided.

Preregistration for workshop and childcare must be made by MARCH 19. To register, call Mission WV toll free at 866.CALL.MWV (866-225-5698) or email Laura Lou Harbert at lharbert(at)missionwv.org

This workshop is a joint effort of Mission WV, the WV Department of Health and Human Resources, the Supreme Court of Appeals of WV, Legal Aid of WV, the American Bar Association, WVU Extension Services and the Bureau of Senior Services.

To view and download the flyer, visit this link: http://www.missionwv.org/frameworks/News.html

Kanawha County Schools Parent Educator Resource Center Support Group

All families, Educators and Community members are welcome to attend the Kanawha County Schools' Parent Educator Resource Center Support Group.

Date: February 12, 2010
Time: 6 to 8 p.m.
Location: South Charleston Middle School
Topic: School Age Children and Medication and The Importance of Good Nutrition
Speaker: Bill McFarland, Owner/Pharmacist of Loop Pharmacy located in Charleston and St. Albans.

For more information you may contact KCS Parent Ed. Res. Center at 304-348-7715 or email perc(at)kcs.kana.k12.wv.us - if you bring a friend, both of your names will be entered into a door prize drawing.

All KCS employees may receive Staff Development Credit.

If you would like to have an event posted on the FrameWorks' Blog, please email crobey(at)missionwv.org

Thanks!

Walk Me Home 2010!!!

FrameWorks is excited to announce that we have a date set for the Walk Me Home 2010 event! Please join us on Saturday May 15th at the Appalachian Power Park in Charleston, WV for a foster care celebration and fundraiser.

The website is now open for registration and we hope that you register soon! By clicking here: Walk Me Home 2010, you can visit the Walk Me Home website and either form a team, register as an individual, or make a contribution.

We are really excited to see everyone who attended the walk last year and we hope to see new faces this year. Walk Me Home provides a great opportunity for foster care supporters from all over the state to come together in celebration of those who dedicate their lives to improving the lives of children while also remembering the thousands of West Virginia children in the foster care system.

Last year, the weather was beautiful and we all had SO MUCH FUN! We hope that this year is just as wonderful and we will have prizes for the top 3 fundraisers and a plaque for the top fundraising team.

Funds raised from the event will go towards the Recruitment and Retention Collaborative and to FrameWorks Programming, which works to empower the lives of WV foster children and recruit families for children who are legally eligible for adoption and waiting for a forever family.

If you are interested in volunteering, we would appreciate your help!

We look forward to another great Walk Me Home event and hope to see you there!

12 ways to support foster care all year long

After the blog article I wrote about resolving to make the difference in someone else's life this new year, one of our facebook "fans" asked for suggestions of how they could help to empower the lives of foster children and those who are dedicated to either finding or providing forever families that can provide a home filled with support and love. So, we came up with a list! If you would like to do everything on this list or just one thing on this list, it will provide more support and encouragement than you could ever being to realize. Also, if you would like any help in fulfilling any of the "ways to help" on the list below, just call us and we would be more than glad to help out.

Thanks for reading and we hope to hear from you. Do you have any ideas to add on to this list?

FrameWorks' 12 ways to support foster care:

1. January - Write a note to a foster kid that provides encouragement and advice for the new year.
2. February – Bake heart shaped cookies and donate them to a group home facility.
3. March – send flowers to a social worker who works hard to find families for children. A group of people could chip in on this and a member of the FrameWorks staff could help you with finding a social worker to give to if you don’t already have one.
4. April – put together a “rainy day” care package for a kid living at a group facility.
5. May – Make a team for Walk Me Home! The walk will be May 15th this year!
6. June - Time for another care package that could include sidewalk chalk/beach towel/sun screen.
7. July – Send a note of encouragement to a foster or adoptive family! They would probably really appreciate a small gift certificate for a family activity like a visit to the ice cream store or a night out to the movies.
8. August – School will be starting and a little pencil pouch full of cool pencils, pens and erasers would be a handy gift to give a foster child.
9. September – this is a time of year when a lot of kids get to go school shopping with their families and children living in a group facility don’t get to enjoy that experience. A gift card to a clothing store would come in handy and an adoption recruiter could go for a one on one shopping trip with one of their kids. This way, the kid would get to feel extra special.
10. October – My favorite, Halloween! Send a group home a bunch of candy or Halloween themed baked items. Maybe by now you have been buying for one special foster kid who needs a family and you would like to buy them a mask or something fun to wear on Halloween.
11. November – November is National Adoption month and a tough month for kids who don’t have a family to eat Thanksgiving Dinner with. This month, you can help out by attending a National Adoption Month event and saying a special prayer for foster children who are waiting for a family.
12. December – The holidays are here! You know what you can do!