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Say C he e se! 

The Heart Gallery is

looking for professional

photographers to

 volunteer their services

for the Heart Gallery. If 

 you are a photographer,

or know someone who

is, please call Lori at

388-4399 to help out!

“T e m p o r a r y

C a r e Ca n M a k e

a P e r m a n e n t  

 Difference”

 I f y o u ’v e e v e r c o n s i d e re d f o s t e r i n g a c h i l d ,

n o w i s t h e t i m e . A c h i l d i s w a i t i n g f o r y o u !

 We hope you will join us for an Informational Session

for Prospective foster/adoptive Parents on

Thursday, December 17 at 5:30pm, at 106 Erie

Boulevard in Schenectady . At this session you

 will learn about the training process, and about foster

care and adoption in general. The training

sessions begin on January 5. In order to begin

the home study process, you are required to attend all

11 sessions in the training. Sessions begin promptly 

at 5:30pm, and end at 8:30pm. Training sessions

 will be held at 106 Erie Boulevard in Schenectady.

Please note: for all evenings, it is necessary that

 you make arrangements for child care while you are

participating in the training each week. If you have

any questions, please call the Foster Home Finding

Unit at 388-4541.

 I n f o rm a t i o n a l & T ra i n i n g S es s i o n Da t e s a re a s f o l lo w s :

  In fo rma t ion a l : Thursday, December 17 

T ra in ing Sess ions :

Tuesday January 5

Thursday, January 7

  Wednesday January 13

  Wednesday January 20

Monday January 25

  Wednesday January 27

  Wednesday February 3

Tuesday February 9

Thursday February 11

Monday February 22

  Wednesday February 24

Can Y ou H elp U s Find M or e F os ter Par en t s ?

If you are able to help us share informational brochures with prospective foster/adoptive parents, or

 would like to invite our staff to give a presentation to your church or community group, please call

the Foster Home Finding Unit at 518-388-4456 to let us know. Currently, our greatest need is

finding homes for older children (teenagers and up to age 21) and sibling groups.

Please help us in our search for more quality foster homes for the children in our community!

 Winter 2010 Training Dates Announ ced  

 D i d Y ou K now ?  "Mele Kalikimaka"

is the way to wish

someone a Merry 

Christmas in

Hawai’ian!

employed at Six Flags Great Escape

as a "Thriller" Michael Jackson

tribute artist and choreographer at

age 16.

I am currently employed as a youth

mentor for America Reads/Counts

program and choreographing

children from ages 6-18 for the much

anticipated “Wizard of Oz Meets The

  Wiz” production for Pratt Institute

and will be starring as the

Scarecrow. Since College, I have

traveled across the world from L.A 

to Jamaica and even Venice Italy,

  where I lived for two months

through Pratt Institute studying art

history. Northeast Parent and

C h i l d S o c i e t y h a s a i d e d

me greatly and allowed me to

comfortably maintain my pursuits as

 both a student and active member of 

society. I am highly appreciative of 

all of their efforts with other youth

in my position.

  As Good perpetuates Good, a little

 bit of positive thinking can go a long

  way. I realized that, throughout my 

hard upbringing, the best attitude to

take is the drive for a better

tomorrow. With life, there are some

things you can't change, but be fully 

aware of the things you can, such

as your outlook on yourself and

others, your decisions on which

friends to choose to be around and

more importantly, you can control

  your doubts and fears about what you believe you can and can't achieve

in this lifetime. Never limit yourself 

and believe in your heart that you

are important and you are special.

Love yourself enough to truly know 

that you are capable of achieving

anything that you put your mind and

heart to, as long as it is positive and

  you stay positive no matter what. I

  believe in ALL foster care youth

across the world and feel that all of 

us can learn from one another and

help end the cycle of another

homeless, fatherless or motherless

child innocently born into this world,

  We can all end this through

understanding, love, care and

dedication.

My name is Aamir Smith and I am

c u r r e n t l y a J u n i o r a n d

  Advertisement/Art Direction major

at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn NY. I

have been in-and-out of foster

care since I was three years old. I am

21 now, and just recently aged out of 

ca re. I sta rted o ut within

the Residential Homes in Northeast

at age 13 and progressed tothe Mynders Grouphome from 14-

17 then to the S.I.L.P Independent

Living program till I graduated from

Schenectady High School in 2007.

N Y C h a s g i v e n m e m a n y  

opportunities to continue my 

passion for art, dance and helping

today's youth. Northeast welcomed

me at age 14 to become apart of Y.I.P

(Youth in Progress) where I traveled

across the U.S and had the privilege

to meet so many other youth that

shared similar childhoods as my 

own. During that time I was also

employed at Planned Parenthood as

a Peer Educator, informing my peers

of healthy relationships, teen

pregnancy and anatomy and became

From Foster Care to Independence

1

Schenectady County Office of 

Children & Family Services

106 Erie Boulevard

Schenectady, NY 12305

518-388-4456

 www.schenectadycounty.com

child, if you to

right now .

So many of us p

dreams, leavin

 At the end, we s

only I had don

 wish I had don

chance”. Well,

there is no tim

  Your chance

to give a child

not lost, it is h

Please pick u

again, please m

don’t put off un

 you can do toda

The children w

  waiting, and t

  be a home - y

loving family.

right now . A

take that next

team of caring

eager to train m

critical mission

I sincerely wis

healthy holida

peaceful new ye

There is an old expression I

remember my father saying to me,

usually when I tried to resist doing

my homework: “There is no timelike the present”.

  As I reflect on all of our current

strategies to increase the number

of foster/adoptive families serving

children in Schenectady County, I

have come to realize that the most

important message that we need to

convey is the sense of urgency we

face in recruiting new foster

families. The need for families has

never been greater, and neither

has our agency’s challenge to bring

more families into the fold. My 

staff and I have come to the

conclusion that we all - including

prospective foster and adoptive

families - must move forward

right now !

Keeping that sense of urgency in

mind, I am addressing this letter

to all of you in our community 

  who have stopped at one of our

  booths, picked up a flyer or

  brochure, visited our web site, or

called our recruitment number -

  but ultimately decided (for one

reason or another) that being a

foster/adoptive parent wasn’t

something you could do right

no w .

First, let me offer my thanks to

  you for caring enough to stop -

even for a moment - to find out

  what becoming a foster/adoptiveparent is all about. Believe it or

not, that moment is a very 

important first step. But, right

no w , I’m asking you to take

another moment and think again

about what it would mean to a

There is No Time Like The Present A M e s s a g e f r o m D e n n i s P a c k a r d , Co m m i s s io n e r o f t h e

S c h e n e c t a d y C o u n t y D e p a r t m e n t o f S o c ia l S e r v i c es

I n s i d e t h i si s s u e :

 A Message fromThe Commissioner

1

 A Letter from JudgePowers

1

 Adoption Day Celebration

2

From the Desk of LoriPirrone

2

 Winter 2010 Training

Dates Announced

4

From Foster Care to

Independence - A 

Personal Story 

4

Calendar of Events 3

 W i n t e r 2 0 0 9 - 2 0 1 0

The textbook definition of a

foster parent is one who offers a

temporary home to a child. In

reality, a foster parent

provides more than

 just a home - he or she

offers emotional support,

guidance, and love to a

child who is consumed with

fear, confusion, and a sense

of powerlessness after being

removed from the only 

family they have ever

known. Foster parents bestow 

immeasurable benefits upon their

foster child.

For instance, they offer a rich

family life experience essential to

promote a child's health, growth,

and long-term development.

Foster parents also assist the

child in receiving counseling,

mental health, and educational

services. In so doing, they 

  become a role model for the

child, providing him or her with

the emotional stability required

to develop into a trusted member

of our society. With more than

25,000 children in the foster care

system, there is a dire need for

foster parents in New York State

and the benefit

parent are va

parent, you wil

a large and

support netw

  you to take

opportunity to

in a child's life

county's Depa

Services to le

  becoming a

parent.

-Hon. Mark L

Supreme Cour

of the Family C

County 

The Rewar ds of Fostering a Child’s Devel

Chisann Kohlhepp and her son Anthony 

Kohlhepp (age20), who was adopted this year

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2

The Heart Gallery UpdateFrom the Desk of Lori Pirrone, Adoption Supervisor

December 2. I encourage everyone

to take a small break from your

holiday shopping to take a look at

our amazing gallery!

Once again, Liberty Ridge Farm in

Schaghticoke welcomed the Heart

Gallery youth to their farm on

October 29. The children were able

to explore the giant corn maze,

enjoy activities on the farm and

take part in a campfire cookout.

The children were excited to see

their photographs (as part of the

Heart Gallery) on display in the

main building. The kids had a great

time, and we are tremendously 

grateful to Liberty Ridge for

  welcoming our youth to their

 wonderful facility.On November 17, The New York 

State Heart Gallery was brought to

the Rensselaer Train Station, where

it is currently on display. The New 

  York City Heart Gallery is also on

display at Penn Station in NYC. In

addition to the photographs, the

Heart Gallery displays include

The Capital Region Heart

Gallery is a visually stunning

exhibit of portraits that

capture the unique personality 

and spirit of some of our very 

special children. The children

in the gallery are regional

children awaiting adoption.

The mission of the Capital Region

Heart Gallery is to raise awareness

of the need for permanent loving

adoptive families for the children

awaiting adoption in this region.

Our goals are to inspire individuals

  who otherwise might never have

considered adopting, and to

motivate those who have.

The Capital Region Heart Gallery 

has been on display at Parson'sChild and Family Center

throughout the month of 

November, and welcomed guests

at three public receptions during

the month. The Capital Region

Heart Gallery will also be on

display at Rotterdam Square Mall—

near the mall offices—beginning

information about the adoption

process, and the need for

permanent, loving adoptive families

for our waiting children. The Heart

Gallery will be on display at the

train stations until January 2010. I

encourage you to visit either (or

 both) of the galleries to learn more

about these very special children.

  We are always looking for family 

friendly venues to display the Heart

Gallery. If you know of a location,

  we would like to hear from you.

Please feel free to give me a call at

518-388-4399.

Fondly,

Lori Pirrone 

T h e H e a r t G a l l e r y d i s p l a y a t L i b e r t y R i d g e

Liberty Ridge Farmin Schaghticoke

Our kids enjoying a

great day of fun on the

farm at Liberty Ridge

 Adoption Day Celebration 2009  

On November 18 staff, parents and friends gathered outside

the Schenectady County Office Building in Schenectady for

the annual Tree Lighting Ceremony to celebrate National

 Adoption month. And this year, we have a lot for which we

are thankful - 11 children have left the foster care

system and entered adoptive families, and seven more

children are awaiting an adoption finalization date.

  We are thankful for the adoptive families that come

forward to help our children, and we encourage all

families - both parents and children - to talk about

their experience with the adoption process to help us

raise awareness about the need for permanent, loving,

forever families for our waiting children. We arethankful for everyone who plays a part, large or small, in

finding permanent homes for our youth.

Relative Adoptive parent

Jasmine Santiago (second

from left) lights our

 Adoption Tree with her

daughters (l-r) Krystal

McFarline, Kristy 

McFarline, and Kiara

McFarlinePhotos above, clockwise f rom top : Judge Eli Taub,

DSS Commissioner Dennis Packard, Judge Mark Powers,

Deputy Director of Children’s Services Aurelia Colamarino

The 2009 Adoption Tree

P h o t o a t l e f t  : Our amazing adoption caseworkers, l-r:

Lorena Robinson, Michelle Cappelletti, Lori Pirrone, Beth

Kent, and Patricia Moskowitz

3

January Events

Dec 3: Magic & Melodies Celebration. 4-9pmtown Schenectady. Music, crafts, kids activit

Dec 5: Greater Glenville Family YMCA's BreSanta. Join Santa and Mrs. Claus for breakfcrafts, games and photos with Santa. $5.00 p127 Droms Road, Glenville.

Dec 5: YWCA of Schenectady Breakfast withTwo seatings: 8:30am and 9:30am. Call 374

Dec 5: Sinterklaas (aka St. Nicholas) will paUpper Union Street (11am-12pm). Crafts for king at 10am, a bell choir and caroling. F REE

Dec 11: Hanukkah begins at sundown.

Dec 11: Santa’s Playland for Foster FamiliesFREE. Call 388-4456 for more details.

Dec 17: Foster/Adoptive Care Informational5:30pm. Please see page 4 for details. 

Dec 24-25: Christmas Eve/Christmas Day HSchenectady County Offices closed.

December Events

Jan 1: New Year’s Day holiday. SchenectadyOffices closed.

Jan 5: Foster/Adoptive Care Training SessioPlease see page 4 for details.

Jan 19: Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday. SchCounty Offices closed.

February Events

Feb 12: Lincoln’s Birthday holiday. SchenecCounty Offices closed.

Feb 14: Valentine’s Day 

Feb 16:  Washington’s Birthday holiday. SchCounty Offices closed.

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