ORANGE, Calif., April 26, 2005 (PRIMEZONE) -- The community is invited to attend a special ceremony on Thursday, April 28, 10 a.m., at Irvine Regional Park in Orange, to dedicate a new landmark in Orange County called the "Family Tree Grove." Eight Orange County-based foster care and adoption agencies will help plant the trees in honor of 12 extraordinary people and organizations who have made a significant difference within foster care and adoption. The event is a community outreach effort planned by the Public Relations Society of America/Orange County Chapter (OC-PRSA).
"No child should grow up in the system," said Keri Gee Barnett, public service chairman of the OC-PRSA. "Our hope is that the Family Tree Grove will inspire more adults to branch out their family trees and help make a permanent difference in the lives of so many precious children in need of a loving home."
Anyone interested in learning about the critical need for foster care and/or adoptive families and those who are current foster and adoptive families are encouraged to attend this special ceremony. Face-to-face opportunities to meet experienced parents and agency representatives will accompany touching testimonials, recognition by elected officials, a light luncheon, and complimentary rides on the Irvine Park Railroad.
Honorees include those who have fostered hundreds of children, adopted numerous very ill children, and those who have donated thousands of hours and dollars to the cause. Honors being presented are The Giving Tree Award (volunteerism), Branching Out Award (foster family), Taking Root Award (adoptive family), Seeds of Success Award (leadership), Fostering Growth Award (monetary, in-kind donor), and Tree of Life Award (most inspirational). Those being honored include many heroic parents, a former Mayor, a young adult, an emancipated youth, businesses, and a professional organization, among others. They reside in the cities of Anaheim, Fountain Valley, Irvine, Laguna Niguel, Mission Viejo, San Clemente, and Westminster.
According to the 2004 Report on the Conditions of Children in Orange County, in 2002-03, an average of 4,007 children per month were dependents of the court, which means they were living in group homes, their own homes under Social Services supervision, or in foster homes. The Family Tree Garden event caps an 18-month public awareness campaign organized on a voluntary basis by OC-PRSA. The goal of the awareness campaign is "a home for every child" in Orange County.
"All of us involved in this campaign share a common goal, which is to ensure every child in the county is able to live in a safe, stable family setting," said Todd Cooley, PRSA president. "Since that requires recruiting more foster care and adoptive families, as well as other volunteer support, we are devoting much of our attention to helping people understand both the tremendous need for such families and the incredible impact they can have on a child's life."
The participating foster care/adoption agencies are Aspira Foster & Family Services, Beta Foster Care, Child S.H.AR.E., Concept 7, County of Orange Social Services Agency, Hannah's Children's Homes, Nightlight Christian Adoptions, and Nuevo Amanecer Latino Foster Family Agency.
OC-PRSA is the local chapter of the country's largest national association of public relations professionals with more than 280 members from business, public relations firms, government agencies, educational institutions, health care, and non-profit organizations.
Irvine Regional Park -- located in Orange and named for James Irvine II -- is the oldest regional park in the state and is on the National Register of Historic Places. The 477-acre park, which celebrated its centennial in 1997, offers many recreational opportunities amidst groves of Oak and Sycamore trees and rolling foothills.