HCJFS Update: March's News and Information

March 2016

Meet Chrissiya

Chrissiya is one energetic teenager. She has a lot of hobbies which keep her busy. It's easy to figure out that gym is Chrissiya's favorite part of school when you see her list of extracurricular activities. She plays basketball, football, and does gymnastics and cheerleading.

Even when she plays video games, she prefers Wii games where she can get up and dance around-when she eventually comes in from playing outside with her friends.

When she isn't playing sports, Chrissiya likes to go to Kings Island, Dave and Buster's or go shopping. She likes movies, and one of her favorites is Frozen because she likes to sing along.

Music is a big part of Chrissiya's life. She enjoys rap music and she likes to sing gospel as well as listen to it. Her favorite musicians at the moment are the members of Mindless Behavior, an R&B boy band.

When she grows up, she has said she wants to become a foster parent herself and provide homes for kids in need.

Since Chrissiya is a very active young girl, a family that can keep up and plan a lot of activities as a family would be perfect. She needs a family who will encourage her to continue being a charming, respectful young woman while also teaching her how to positively express herself.

Quick Links

HCJFS.org

Emphasizing fatherhood: HCJFS to help dads more

We have more than 81,000 active child support cases, each involving a mother, father and at least one child. If you do the math, that is at least 243,000 people we are assisting with child support, but we know the number is much higher.

I think financial support for children is crucial, and we take that responsibility seriously. But I want this agency to be more than a collection agency when it comes to child support.

For years, we have been involved, either leading or in support, in fatherhood initiatives aimed at strengthening the bond between fathers and children. We know from experience that strengthening the bond will lead to more consistent child support payments, but we also know the child will benefit in so many more ways when a father is deeply involved in his or her life.

My plan for 2016 is to step up our involvement in fatherhood initiatives. We will continue to support existing relationships we have, such as the one with Talbert House's Fatherhood Project, but we are also exploring the idea of new initiatives or reviving some of the work we have done in the past.

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Thank you for the hats and gloves: 5,40o+ total

Our closet is full of brand new hats, gloves and scarves thanks to this winter's Gloves for Love campaign.

We have shared bags of the winter wear with many of our foster care provider agencies and still have more to deliver. We cannot say enough how much we appreciate the community's support.

Last year, the campaign, then called Cases for Love, collected more than 7,000 suitcases so foster kids wouldn't have to transport their belongings in garbage bags. This year, PR guru Julie Phillippi-Whitney and Sibcy Cline's Pam Sibcy teamed up again and decided to collect the winter wear.

We can't wait to see what next winter brings. Thank you again.

Honoring our social workers

March is National Social Work Month. To celebrate it, we're honoring the 200+ social workers who work hard every day at Hamilton County Job and Family Services.

They help put families back together. They help older people get the care and services they need. They find adoptive families for our foster children who wait for permanency.

If you know a social worker, please let them know they're appreciated. It's a difficult job and they do it every day.