Wesley House Family Services is calling on community members to consider becoming foster parents as the organization works to address a continuing shortage of licensed foster homes throughout Monroe County.
Grace Epperly, Development Coordinator for Wesley House, joined Good Morning Keys on Keys Talk 96.9/102.5FM this morning to talk about the organization.
Foster care remains one of the nonprofit organization’s most critical needs. Wesley House serves as one of Monroe County’s child welfare agencies, providing foster care services, foster parent licensing, adoptions, family support programs, and educational services for children and families.
“We definitely want to always have a nice pool of foster parents located throughout the Keys,” Epperly said. “We never know when a child is going to come into care, and we really want to try to keep that child within their same environment, their same school systems, their same friends, and their same activities.”
Prospective foster parents can begin the licensing process by enrolling in an eight-week foster parent training course. The next round of classes is scheduled to begin in September. Following the training, applicants undergo background checks and home studies before becoming licensed.
The agency encourages anyone interested in learning more about fostering to contact Foster Parent Licensing Coordinator Amy Eichen at 305-809-5020.
“It really does not take much,” Epperly said. “If you can offer love and stability to a child or children, then you can be a foster parent.”
In addition to foster care services, Wesley House operates several programs aimed at supporting children and families across Monroe County. These include Healthy Families Monroe, which provides education and support for expectant parents and families with young children, the Inez Martin Child Development Center preschool in Key West, adoption services, and independent living programs for foster youth preparing for adulthood.
The organization is also preparing for one of its largest family-friendly fundraising events of the year.
The annual Big Splash event will take place Aug. 22 at the Wesley House campus in Key Largo. The event will feature water slides, bounce houses, a foam pit, music, food, and activities designed for children and families.
“We’re calling it the Key Largo Office Event Grounds,” Epperly said. “It’s going to be awesome.”
Wesley House is currently seeking sponsors for the event, with several sponsorship levels available for businesses and individuals who wish to support the nonprofit’s programs and services.
“We cannot do these events without the support of our generous community,” Epperly said. “We’re very appreciative of all the sponsors that we have so far.”
The proceeds from the event help support the organization’s child welfare, foster care, and family assistance programs throughout the Florida Keys.
Epperly also noted that Wesley House will soon begin collecting back-to-school supplies for students at the Inez Martin Child Development Center and encouraged residents to follow the organization’s social media channels and website for updates on upcoming initiatives.
More information about foster parenting, sponsorship opportunities, and Wesley House programs is available through the organization’s website here: https://www.wesleyhouse.org