Statewide media campaign highlights foster parents’ commitment and motivation to help kids of all ages in foster care
Child welfare officials and advocates, foster parents, and supporters from throughout Illinois will gather tomorrow at 10:30 am at Loyola University Chicago School of Law (Kasbeer Hall, 25 East Pearson Street) to launch this year’s Foster Kids Are Our Kids campaign.
In It For The Kids TV commercials will air on WGN featuring local individuals sharing the joys and challenges of foster parenting.
Norma and George, Norma and Jose, and Treena, share their experiences with foster parenting to show the public how important foster care is to the thousands of foster children in Illinois.
According to George, “Foster kids are just like any other children and being a foster parent is all about loving them and helping them be the best they can be.”
Treena, who works closely with birth parents, says, “I want to help keep children and parents together.” Norma and Jose have a message for other potential foster parents, “We are part of this effort because we see how well children can do when they have caring and reliable foster parents to help them through hard times.”
The TV spots will be accompanied by print and transit advertising, along with a website and Facebook page.
Participating agencies throughout the state will disseminate brochures and posters to motivate others to learn about foster care and get involved. “As a society we need to better understand and appreciate the role of foster parents.
We want this campaign to replace any negative misconceptions people might have about foster care so we can attract more great foster parents,” says Rick Velasquez, Co-chair of the campaign and Executive Director of Youth Outreach Services.
Foster Kids Are Our Kids is a collaborative effort of over 60 Illinois child welfare agencies. The campaign was initiated by Voices for Illinois Children and designed by Better World Advertising.
The goal of the campaign is to elevate the importance of foster care and dispel negative stereotypes.
“Too many people, including many who would make amazing foster parents, are put off because they only hear about foster care when there is some tragedy on the evening news. We need to show the public that foster parenting is indispensable, and overwhelmingly made up of loving and honorable people,” says Ruth Jajko, campaign co-chair and Associate Executive Director of Lutheran Social Services Illinois.
To learn more about how you can help, log on to FosterKidsAreOurKids.org or call 1-888-R-KIDS-2.
For campaign images, spokesmodel and campaign member interviews and all other media inquiries please contact Anne Klassman, Foster Kids Are Our Kids Project Manager @ 312-516-5564 or email at [email protected].