HELP PROCLAIM SEPTEMBER AS “KINSHIP CARE MONTH”

July 22, 2016: Message from the National Kinship Alliance for Children, the Child Welfare League of America, and the NYS Kinship Navigator.

Across the nation, approximately 2.7 million grandparents and 1.4 million other relatives are caring for children. This non-parent caregiving is called “kinship care”.

Kinship families are a national resource, providing homes for over 6 million children, saving over $4 billion annually in child welfare costs. Yet the public, the media, and our federal and state governments do little to acknowledge their service.

To date, New York, Virginia, South Dakota, Vermont, Georgia, Ohio, New Jersey, Arizona, and the U. S. Senate have issued resolutions declaring September as Kinship Care Month. We are asking you to help gain more support for all kinship families.

In June, we asked you to reach out to the White. So far, your messages are working and the White House has engaged with us. But there is no commitment. Once again, we are asking you to help us persuade President Obama to issue a Presidential Proclamation Declaring September as Kinship Care Month and to Host a Celebration of Kinship Care during September.

What can you do to help?

Our goal is to have kinship caregivers and everyone who supports them (families, friends, professionals, etc.) email or call the White House on July 26, 27, 28, 29.

Please call or email, and please ask your family, friends, and networks to call or email. We will only be successful if do your part.

·  Calls to White House comment line (may be put on hold for some time; they do not take names): 202-456-1111

·  Emails to White House, web site will ask you to fill out your contact info, including your name; contact the President at: https://www.whitehouse.gov/contact

Here is sample message:

“I urge the President to support the 4 million kinship caregivers and their children, by proclaiming September as Kinship Care Month and hosting a celebration during September. Grandparents and other relatives deserve national recognition and respect. A presidential proclamation will help us raise awareness and take action in our home communities."

Thank you.

For more information: http://www.nysnavigator.org/?page_id=276