PHOENIX — Former Governor Doug Ducey declared May 2020 Foster Care Awareness Month to recognize the importance of ensuring Arizona kids of all ages have the opportunity to grow up with a family that will nurture and guide them. Foster families, advocates, teachers and many individuals and organizations throughout the state are committed to serving Arizona’s foster kids.
“All Arizona kids deserve to live in a safe, supportive and loving home,” said Governor Ducey. “This Foster Care Awareness Month—and every month of the year—Arizona families and organizations step up to help kids in need and ensure they have a nurturing environment that will set them up for a fulfilling future. I encourage all Arizonans to take time to reflect on the ways we can do something positive and support those in out-of-home-care. My thanks to the foster families, caseworkers, volunteers, faith-based leaders and everyone working to serve Arizona’s youth.”
The Arizona Department of Child Safety provides support for foster families, guidance for caregivers, information on virtual visitation and other resources during the COVID-19 health emergency.
View text of the proclamation below
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WHEREAS, children enter foster care through no fault of their own, and have a right to live in a safe, nurturing, and supportive family atmosphere; and
WHEREAS, the people of Arizona are known for their compassion and have a long-standing tradition of opening their hearts and homes to children and youth in need of a stable and caring atmosphere; and
WHEREAS, there is a need to ensure that children of all ages have the opportunity to grow up in a family that will nurture, guide and love them, thereby launching young people into successful adulthood; and
WHEREAS, together as a state, we must raise awareness about this need and inspire people to step forward and invest in the lives of Arizona's youth and their families, through shared parenting and our foster care system; and
WHEREAS, together as a state, we must raise support for children experiencing foster care through volunteerism and charitable giving; and
WHEREAS, foster and kinship families - unsung heroes who open their homes and their hearts to support youth whose families are in crisis - play a vital role in helping children, youth, and families heal; and
WHEREAS, we offer the deepest gratitude and thanks to all who serve Arizona's youth as foster, adoptive and kinship parents, respite care providers, caseworkers, advocates, mentors, teachers, faith leaders, volunteers, and individuals dedicated to making a difference.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, Douglas A. Ducey, Governor of the State of Arizona, do hereby proclaim May 2020 as
FOSTER CARE AWARENESS MONTH
and urge all citizens to do something positive to help improve the lives of children in foster care.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand and caused to
be affixed the Great Seal of the State of Arizona
GOVERNOR
DONE at the Capitol in Phoenix on this twenty-fourth day of April
in the year Two Thousand and Twenty and of the Independence of the
United States of America the Two Hundred and Forty-Fourth.
ATTEST:
SECRETARY OF STATE