Senator Lankford Meets with Foster Families, Potential Foster Families in Tulsa

OKLAHOMA CITY, OK – Senator James Lankford (R-OK) today participated in two special events with the Oklahoma Fosters Initiative in Tulsa—an appreciation breakfast for foster families and a roundtable discussion for foster families, social workers and advocates. The roundtable discussion focused on the foster care process in Oklahoma and the need to recruit more families.
 
“National Foster Care Month is a time to raise awareness and think about the plight of vulnerable children currently in our foster care system,” said Lankford. “It was a pleasure to spend time today with foster families, advocates and social workers and listen to their experience with the foster care system. I continue to join Governor Fallin in encouraging families to consider foster care for the 10,500 children in our state’s foster care system. It is very important that Oklahomans come together to care for our children in foster care, so they can have a brighter future.”
 
Both of today’s events were sponsored by the Oklahoma Department of Human Services; Americas Kids Belong, a national foster care organization; and the 111Project, a state foster care organization.
 
On November 12, 2015, Governor Mary Fallin announced the Oklahoma Fosters Initiative, a statewide campaign to recruit families to consider foster care. The first goal of this campaign is to help the state Department of Human Services recruit at least 1,000 new foster families statewide by the end of June 2016. As of today, current recruitment trends suggest that this goal is within reach. Interested Oklahomans can learn more about becoming a foster or adoptive parent by visiting the Oklahoma Fosters website at www.OklahomaFosters.com and click on “Foster Care & Adoption” for information to be a foster or adoptive parent. They also can call the foster parent hotline at 1-800 376-9729.

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