FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 20, 2024
Contact: Santino R. Thomas
(518) 949-4809 | [email protected]
ALBANY, N.Y. – Recently, St. Catherine’s Center for Children was awarded a $7,500 grant – by The John D. Picotte Family Foundation – to support the agency’s Kinship & Foster Care Outreach and Wrap Around – Support Initiative. This grant is given to organizations that improve the quality of life in the Capital Region, with emphasis on health, education, the arts and housing.
These funds will enable the Kinship Care and Foster Care programs to continue providing wrap-around services which include the supply of food, school supplies, clothing and other essentials needed to support the program’s children and families. In addition, this grant funds St. Catherine’s direct outreach in the community, including continued recruitment and training of foster families, identifying and supporting kinship families and promoting available services.
“Children thrive in places they are nurtured and loved,” said Mark Quail, associate executive director of St. Catherine’s Permanency and Family Support services. “When children are removed from their home, St. Catherine’s Foster Care programs are there to provide a safe and caring environment for them.”
St. Catherine’s Foster Care program serves children in a therapeutic home setting. Children are matched with trained foster parents who provide a safe and consistent home environment. As children thrive in nurturing homes, St. Catherine’s offers foster parents training and support to ensure they are prepared to meet their foster care commitment.
The Kinship Care program, allows children to stay with family or close family friends when removed from their parents’ care. This provides a sense of comfort and stability while keeping a connection to loved ones. When a family member or close friend assumes the responsibility of caring for a child, that relationship falls under kinship care. St. Catherine’s kinship program provides services to caregivers in Albany, Greene, Schenectady and Ulster counties. The program aims to connect caregivers to a variety of community and public support services providing these children and families with the tools they need to be successful.
Children in foster care programs are often victims of physical, sexual or emotional abuse and neglect. Regardless of the reason for placement, a child needs someone to provide a safe environment to heal and grow. St. Catherine’s Foster Care and Kinship Care programs are at the heart of the Agency’s mission to provide support, foster growth and inspire hope to improve the lives of the individuals, children and families it serves in the Capital Region and beyond.
The willingness of St. Catherine’s Center for Children to embrace change and develop new services is, and will remain, our guiding philosophy as we support human service needs, throughout the region, by providing a comprehensive range of services designed to offer hope, foster growth and improve the lives of the children, families and adults we serve.
For more information, http://www.st-cath.org.
