On May 1st, Mayor Paige Chase proclaimed May in Monticello as “Foster Care Awareness Month” during an event honoring the 36 children in foster care from Drew County and the 91 children in foster care in our four-county region of the state (Ashley, Chicot, Desha, and Drew counties) on the town square today.
Community members and representatives from each local organization serving foster children in Drew County participated in a balloon release in the children’s honor, and an art display was erected on the square for the month of May also honoring these children and representing the urgent need for foster homes in Drew County. Right now, only 10 homes serve the more than 90 children in the four county region.
In the art display, the tree leaves represent the total Drew County children who were in foster care last year, and the flowers represent the almost 40 Drew County children in foster care today.
Senator Eddie Cheatham of Crossett, Representative LeAnne Pittman Burchof Monticello, Pastor Branch of Holmes Chapel Presbyterian Church, and Deborah West of The Call in Drew County also spoke, prayed, and brought attention to the need for foster homes in our area. Senator Cheatham read Judge Robert Akin’s proclamation for Drew County in recognition of “Foster Care Awareness Month."
Arkansas Baptist Children's Homes & Family Ministries, the Arkansas Division of Children and Family Services, The Children's Advocacy Center of Pine Bluff, CASA 10th Judicial District, Families in Need of Services (FINS) of the 10th Judicial District Court, The CALL in Drew County, and Vera Lloyd Presbyterian Family Services, Inc. were each collaborators for the event.
