Children's Home of Reading to celebrate National Foster Care Month with family movie night

May 6—The Children's Home of Reading is putting on a family movie night to celebrate May as National Foster Care Month.

The public will have a chance to learn about fostering opportunities on May 22 at the home's "Be a Hero" family movie night.

"We will have some of our own foster family heroes in attendance," said CEO Vincent LaSorsa. "We welcome everyone to ask questions about foster care and have some fun watching 'SHAZAM' on the jumbotron."

The free event will be held outside at FirstEnergy Stadium, 1900 Centre Ave.

Multiple sanitation stations will be available. All attendees, staff, superheroes and volunteers will be required to wear facemasks, he said, noting capes are optional.

The Children's Home of Reading is joining in commemorating the month-long initiative led by the Children's Bureau of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

This year's theme, "Foster Care as a Support to Families, Not a Substitute for Parents," reflects the national foster care system's commitment to strengthen the capacity of families to nurture and provide for the well-being of their children.

Between 550 and 600 children each year enter the Berks County Children and Youth Services system, said Jill Troutman, vice president of advancement, marketing and communications for the Children's Home of Reading.

"That is a large number of foster families to find," she said.

Children can wind up in foster care for several reasons, including physical or sexual abuse, neglect, abandonment and parental incarceration, illness or death. Although close to half of the children in the system are able to return to their birth families, according to the Statewide Adoption and Permanency Network, or SWAN, others are waiting for long-term or permanent homes.

"Children need families they can rely on," Troutman said. "Studies have found that children thrive best in a family setting, and children with a permanent connection to an adult tend to do well in all aspects of their lives."

But the coronavirus pandemic has hit the foster care system hard. Some families lost jobs, or worked outside of the home and didn't have anyone to stay with the children while they attended school virtually, so they took themselves out of availability, Troutman said.

"Since COVID we had to refuse over 90% of our referrals due to unavailability of families," she said.

Troutman said homes are needed for older youth, sibling groups and school age children. Anyone over 21, who can pass the background check, take the training, be able to pay their bills and provide a loving, supportive home to a child in crisis is eligible to be a foster parent.

"We have all types of families, single, married, LGBT, retired, homeowners, renters," Troutman said. "We are inclusive and celebrate diversity at The Children's Home of Reading. Foster families are everyday heroes.

"We'd love for everyone to be having conversation during National Foster Care Month about foster care and adoption with their coworkers, neighbors, friends and family members. Think of it as a casting call. We invite everyone to have fun and be a hero for the kids."

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