Reading Rotary Shines a Light on the Need for Foster Parents
The recent Installation Dinner held by the Reading Rotary Club was more than a celebration of the past year and look towards the future. President Elect Brian Snell wanted the evening to send an important message.As guests arrived at the hall, they were welcomed by a service project that created Summer Care Packages for 50 children in the Foster Care system. The care package consisted on items purchased by the club as well as donations from Rite Aid, Salem Five, Reading Cooperative Bank, Coventa, Dr. Leo Spyrou, and Samantha's Harvest/the Gibbs Family.
But more impactful than the service project were the presentations by Laurie Roscoe of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Department of Children and Families and Nicole McLaughlin of the Plummer Youth Promise. Roscoe began with an overview of the situation in the state, reporting that there are more than 6,000 children in the foster care system and more entering every day. She emphasized that no community is untouched by the need to help these children. Foster care parents are needed everywhere so that an affected child's life is disrupted as little as possible.
Roscoe then introduced Jessica Landale, a long time foster parent and an Ambassador for the system. She has fostered more than 20 children during her tenure and spoke about how each one has been a blessing. Next McLaughlin spoke of the work being done at the Plummer Youth Promise, formerly the Plummer Home for Boys. The Plummer Youth Promise is represented in the Salem Rotary club by James Lister. McLaughlin spoke of how the service project will let the children in their care know that someone is thinking about them and at the end of the day, these children are the same as all other children and they just want to receive something special and have fun.
While these presenters alone would have been an informative program in and of itself, McLaughlin hit the ball out of the park when she introduced Jonathan. Jonathan is a 16 year old young man living in the Plummer Youth Promise Home. He is currently a rising junior at Salem High School where he is involved in the ROTC program and hopes to join the United States Marine Corp upon graduation. He, and his siblings, have been bouncing around in the foster care system for most of their lives. Knowing that made his presentation that much more impressive. Jonathan was an articulate advocate for the Plummer Youth Promise and the need for Foster Parents. Conversation among the attendees following the event showered accolades about Jonathan and how his speech alone might be enough to make them learn about becoming foster parents. If you are interested in more information, please contact President Elect Brian Snell in Reading or James Lister at the Plummer Youth Promise.