Contact:
Joe Scialfa or Gina Paige ― 608-266-9000
(MADISON) – As part of National Foster Care Awareness Month, the Department of Children and Families (DCF) joined the Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council (YAC) to support, empower and give a voice to current and former foster youth throughout Wisconsin.
DCF Secretary Eloise Anderson and department staff participated in the Hands Around the Capitol event on Tuesday, May 23rd to show support and raise awareness of the challenges facing foster children and youth.
“Children and youth who are placed in foster care must overcome significant obstacles before, during and after their stay in out-of-home care,” said Department of Children and Families (DCF) Secretary Eloise Anderson. “I am so proud to join hands with members of the Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council as they recognize National Foster Care Month and show the world that they will not let their past dictate their future.”
In Wisconsin, 285 of the roughly 7,300 children in foster care aged out of the system in 2016. While thousands of fosters parents have already stepped forward to provide a temporary home for children in need, we are still searching for additional kind, responsible adults to provide the love and support these children need.
If you are interested in changing the life of a child through foster care, visit https://dcf.wisconsin.gov/fostercare/become.
To learn more about the Wisconsin Youth Advisory Council, visit https://www.facebook.com/wiyac2005/.
Photo caption: Representative Jessie Rodriguez, First Lady Tonette Walker and Department of Children and Families Secretary Eloise Anderson join hands to show support and raise awareness of the challenges facing foster youth at the Hands Around the Capitol event on May 23 (photo by Gina Paige, DCF).
