In an effort to raise awareness and support for the 425 foster youth in Santa Barbara County, Our County, Our Kids—a program of the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services—is building its relationships with local schools, families, and youth. Program representatives believe that every child deserves someone cheering for them on the sideline and supporting them through life’s biggest moments, however they acknowledge that many foster youth lack loving homes to provide such stability and encouragement.
As part of its collaborative outreach, members of the Our County, Our Kids recruitment team will be at Righetti High School Sept. 16 as the Santa Maria Saints and Righetti Warriors play their annual cross-town rivalry game. Anyone interested in learning more about becoming a resource for local foster youth can stop by the Our County, Our Kids booth for more information on fostering, adopting, mentoring, and other ways to support youth in need.
More details will also be available at upcoming Our County, Our Kids informational meetings in Solvang on Sept. 19, and in Santa Maria on Oct. 6. For meeting details, visit ourcountyourkids.org.
This article appears in Sep 15-22, 2016.