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MERRITT HERALD FREE
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2013 • MERRITT NEWSPAPERS
CELEBRATING FOSTER FAMILY MONTH
Merritt foster families shown appreciation By Michael Potestio THE HERALD
reporter@merrittherald.com
Robert Sampson has only been a foster parent for two years, but said that experience has been a rewarding one. He and his wife Erin have helped raise four foster children, he said. The Sampsons have a teenager of their own and the foster children they’ve looked after have typically been younger. He said in some ways, it can be different raising a foster child from his own because they come from different households with different rules. “Doesn’t take them long to get used to our rules and it’s just like raising our own kids,” Sampson said. Foster families of Merritt were shown some appreciation for the work they put in to supporting children and youth last Wednesday. October was the 23rd Foster Family Month in British Columbia and to celebrate, Interior Community Services, in partnership with the Ministry of Children and Family Development, held a celebratory luncheon at St. Michael’s church. Members of the organizations cooked for the foster parents and children and a few also shared some words of thanks. Sampson said he thinks it’s great to have the appreciation luncheon as it is good for networking. Interior Community Services program co-ordina-
Interior Community Services program co-ordinator Lisa Ward serves cake to foster parents Robert and Erin Sampson. October was the 23rd foster parent appreciation month and to show that appreciation, the Ministry of Child and Family Services and Interior Community Services held a luncheon last week for Merritt’s foster parents. Michael Potestio/Herald
tor Lisa Ward said the event is a way to celebrate the hard work of foster parents. “They really put their hearts on the line — their whole lives, actually. They invite children into their
home, support them, care for them, and love them and support the families that these children come from,” Ward said. Ward described the foster parents of Merritt as a “great
bunch.” “We have just been talking about getting together again as a networking group because they voiced an appreciation [of] support[ing] one another,” Ward said.
Interior Community Services supports foster parents with education, training and by encouraging networking amongst foster parents, Ward said. The organization also
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offers its support with any issues a foster parent has, Ward said. Interior Community Services is based out of Kamloops but has a Merritt office.
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