Marin's 3rd Annual KidCareFair Set for Oct. 17

Everyone’s on board to help support children and families in Marin, right? That’s the idea behind the KidCareFair, scheduled for October 17 at the Marin Health and Wellness Campus in San Rafael.

The third annual KidCareFair is the most comprehensive and collaborative event of its kind in Marin County. About 25 impactful community organizations providing family support services will be in one place for the all-day event, providing the perfect place for kids and parents to be exposed to an array of services available to them.

“Marin County is one of the most innovative and progressive places on the planet, and it’s only fitting that we take that same innovative approach to providing resources and education for our families and children in need,” said Annette Venables, a co-founder and lead organizer of the event. “That’s what the KidCareFair is all about.”

One focus of the fair is to attract potential foster and fost-adopt parents. A presentation called “Is Foster Care or Fost-Adoption for You?” is scheduled for 10-11 a.m. and will be a fantastic opportunity to meet foster parents and other adults interested in the program.

Educational programs for parents will be featured from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and drop-in participation is open from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Among other services, visitors will be able to learn about:

• help for kids with learning challenges
• free personal counseling
• college applications and scholarships
• medical/health advice
• free dental screenings
• drug and alcohol prevention programs

There’s no shortage of fun for the kids as well. The fair features live music, face painting, a puppet show, a Bay Area Discovery Museum play area, and all sorts of prizes for kids. Parents should know that they can sign up for child care, register for educational workshops or reserve a box lunch from nearby Mi Pueblo restaurant (for all three, go to mfpa.net and click on KidCareFair).

The Marin County Department of Health of Human Services is hosting the fair at its Health and Wellness campus, also called the Connection Center, at 3240 Kerner Blvd. in San Rafael. Presentations are scheduled from Big Brothers/Big Sisters, Marin Advocates for Children, the Marin County Office of Education and Marin County Children and Family Services. Participating organizations include the Marin Foster Parent Association, Marin Advocates/CASA, Seneca Family of Agencies, Huckleberry Youth Programs, the National Park Service, the Hospice/Grief Counseling Program, Canal Alliance, Marin Community Health Clinics, 10,000 Degrees and more.

“One of the best results we see from the KidCareFair each year seeing children and families getting in touch with services they didn’t know about, which leads to increased referrals between organizations,” said Leslie Fields, a Marin County child welfare worker. “Creating those connections is a huge reward for us.”

--Marin County news release.