The foster children of Cobb County had an early Christmas this year, as they do every year. The foster children and foster families were treated to a holiday meal, provided by the First Presbyterian Church of Marietta, Christmas presents and handmade blankets, provided by participating Cobb County Schools and CPKelco and the children were able to sit on Santa’s lap and tell him what they wanted for Christmas. The families were also blessed with hearing the Kirk Ringers perform a part of their Christmas Carol Bell Program. The foster children, who are in the care of the Cobb County Foster & Adoptive Parents Association’s (CCFAPA) foster families, were able to just have fun and enjoy a great Christmas night.
The First Presbyterian Church of Marietta has been the host of the CCFAPA for the past year, where they have provided them with a meeting place for the foster parents to earn their mandated 15 hours of training and childcare volunteers for the foster children, while their foster parents are in their training session.
John Silvey, President of the CCFAPA, says “We are so blessed to have such a gracious host church. We have grown, not only in numbers at our meetings, but also organizationally with the church. Everyone at the church has been very patient with us, as we are growing and we greatly appreciate that!” Silvey went on to say, “The Christmas Party is probably our largest event each year and it only gets bigger with the number of children in care. Luckily for us, we have Tanya Parker, who is the Christmas Party Chair. She coordinates with everyone involved, bringing together a wonderful experience for the foster children and families.”
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“The CCFAPA has great sponsors each year for this event, “Silvey says. “Cobb County School Counselor’s Association, all participating Cobb County Schools, Detective John McCraw (Acworth Police Dept.), Officer Michael Bowman (Cobb County Police Dept.), Sprayberry High School, CPKelco, the Atlanta Falcon Cheerleaders, Pat Cates and the Kirk Ringers, McEachern United Methodist Church, Nathan Todd Photography and of course, the First Presbyterian Church of Marietta are the sponsors who have helped us achieve this huge undertaking this year and we Thank them from the bottom of our hearts.”
The Cobb County Foster & Adoptive Parents Association has been around for over 25 years. The 501(c)3 nonprofit’s only income is by way of donations from the community or from fundraising. This year the organization did receive a few grants, one from the Commission on Children and Youth. This grant allowed the foster children to attend the Tellus Museum and the Chattahoochee Nature Center. CCFAPA currently has 113 Department of Family and Children Services certified foster families in Cobb County and approximately 325 foster children in care. Each foster parent is mandated to receive 15 hours of training by the state. There is a need for more foster families, especially loving families that can take in teens, sibling groups of 2 or more and there is always a need for bilingual families. If you are interested in becoming a foster parent, please call 1-877-210-KIDS. If you are interested in donating to CCFAPA, please go to their website www.cobbcountyfapa.org.
