THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, October 25, 1996 TAG: 9610250525
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ELIZABETH SIMPSON, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 61 lines
Norfolk Social Services employees are already counting the days until Christmas, but not for the usual reasons.
They are afraid that some of the city's older foster children will not have gifts. Charitable agencies and individuals tend to concentrate on giving gifts to younger children, but the city's older foster care children sometimes come up short.
So this year the department decided to start soliciting for gifts early.
``Last year there were a lot of older kids who didn't get anything, and the staff got together and used their own money to buy them things,'' said Karen Lindsay, service program manager for the city's Department of Social Services. ``This year we wanted to start early.''
So the Social Services department is asking the public and charitable organizations for monetary contributions or gift certificates to stores that stock items that older children might enjoy, such as the Sports Authority, Blockbuster Video, Sneaker Stadium, Planet Music, Wal-Mart, Toys `R' Us or any other department store with a variety of gifts.
Lindsay said the department has already sent fliers to city employees asking them to consider making a contribution, and also is approaching civic clubs, churches and service organizations with the same plea.
Making sure foster children's wish lists are filled come Christmas Eve is a worry that social workers and foster parents in each of the cities start having about this time of year. Some depend on specific organizations to help them. Other social workers organize efforts themselves.
Chesapeake Department of Social Services, after years of soliciting funds, decided this year to send letters to foster parents asking if they would arrange the gift-buying themselves, seeking assistance from charitable organizations if they can't afford them.
``We've had to put it back in the laps of foster parents,'' said Marcia Clements, a foster care supervisor with Chesapeake's Department of Social Services.
Other cities in the area buy Christmas gifts for their foster children in a variety of ways. In Suffolk, for instance, the community raises money each Christmas for the Cheer Fund to buy presents the following year for foster children, and children in poverty throughout the city.
Tom Gregory, foster care supervisor for Portsmouth's Social Services, said the Portsmouth Church Women organization raises money each year for gifts for Portsmouth foster children. He said the older children's wish lists are the most difficult to fill because their gifts tend to be more expensive.
And since the department is trying to free what children they can for adoption or send them back to their families, the age of their foster children is increasing; older children are more difficult to place in adoptive homes.
Virginia Beach has a fund called Holiday Project for foster children gifts that is organized by staff employees. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
TO CONTRIBUTE
To contribute Christmas gifts for foster children:
Norfolk: Karen Lindsay, 664-7786, 664-7739, 664-6124.
Virginia Beach: Holiday Project, 431-5374, 431-5375.
Portsmouth: Tom Gregory, 398-3600, Ext. 8164.
Suffolk: Cheer Fund, 539-0216.
Chesapeake: Marcia Clements, 382-2240. by CNB