Scott Kalvinek
was elected for the 2024-2025 term
office@citruscountyfosterparents.org
508-769-3808 cell
Brian King
was elected as Vice President for the 2023-2024 term
Molly Burgess
Molly@citruscountyfosterparents.org
was elected as Secretary/Treasurer for the 2024-25 Term
Destiny Hardaway
Chance@citruscountyfosterparents.org
was elected as Secretary for the 2024-2024 term
Chris Burgess
was elected as Director for the
2023- 2024 term
In 1981 our association was founded here in Citrus County to help provide other foster parents moral support while caring for foster children placed into there homes. This alone was a big step in our community being so small and not as developed as other areas of our state.
Through the 90's and into the new
Millennium our small non profit stayed strong helping each other and welcoming anyone that cared for foster kids into it's arms.
Today our organization has grown to cover not only supporting foster families but Adoptive, Kinship and non-kinship families. We feel just because it's not a foster placement the families can still need help.
Our county today has more relative and non-relative placements than ever before. Grandparents, Uncles Aunts, Cousins and even neighbors are caring for the children and even adopting them (so not every adoption is a wealthy home ,just one willing to take that child and love them).
To serve this community January 1st we opened our first public office located in Homosassa.
We know the cost for supplies and some of theses kids most likely never had a new backpack or the proper supplies needed for school. We strive to help these kids to start the new year off right. So every year at the start of school through the help of our great donors we fill backpacks for the kids (grade appropriate ) and send them off to school prepared to learn.
Every year we celebrate Christmas with our kids. Every child in our association receives gifts to make a memorable holiday they will never forget. We try to pair every child with a sponsor to get that one gift they really want, whether it be a bike, iPod,etc. Also local businesses around Citrus County put up Fostering Hope Trees to allow kids to have a tag on those trees asking for 1 of 3 items under $25 on that tag.
Through out the year we arrange for special trips to places like Disney, Gator Land, Ripley's, Universal Studios ,etc. Most children in foster care come from families that just cant afford going on vacation, and most kids have never left the county they are from. So we make sure the children get to go some place so memorable it lasts a life time. We believe this also creates that bond the child needs. They realize what happened to them is none of their fault and they are loved .
We occasionally will hold events and rent out bowling alleys, go to parks and even hold family dinner at a local restaurant to help our kids maintain or to relearn how to bond with other kids and adults in their life. Most kids in long term care lose the ability to bond with others in such case they end up losing their children into the system. Our programs help stop this bad cycle.