Ribbon cutting ceremony for One Church One Child of Florida

RIVERVIEW — One Church One Child of Florida announces the opening of their Riverview office to serve the SunCoast Region and assist in addressing the critical need for adoptive and foster families and homes and mentors for children in foster care.  A ribbon cutting ceremony is scheduled for Tues., April 26 from 11:30–1 p.m. at Mt. Zion African Methodist Episcopal Church located at 5920 Robert Tolle Drive in Riverview.

Refreshments will be served and there will be information available on adopting, fostering, mentoring, partnering and volunteering.

Remember that on any given day, there are about 800 children in Florida’s foster care system available and waiting with no family identified to adopt them.  Over 50 percent of the children waiting are minorities.

The One Church One Child program was founded in 1980 to help the state of Illinois successfully address the disproportionate number of African-American children lingering in the foster care system. The program was implemented in Florida in March of 1988 to address the state’s overrepresentation problem.

One Church One Child of Florida partners with the Florida Department of Children and Families, churches and community based care lead agencies and local organizations to help raise awareness and educate the faith community and individuals regarding the needs of children in foster care.  Rev. Beverly H. Lane serves as the Florida State Board of Directors President and Regional Vice-President for National One Church One Child.

There is a great need for adoptive parents to provide a loving, permanent home for children in foster care.   Now is also the time to find critically needed foster families who can provide a temporary home for children needing a temporary family until permanency can be found as well as mentors who can offer guidance.

If you would like more information regarding becoming an adoptive or foster parent, mentor, partner or volunteer, and/or to RSVP for the Office Ribbon Cutting please contact LaKay Fayson, Recruitment Coordinator for One Church One Child of Florida’s SunCoast Region, at (813) 740-0210 or lakay_fayson@ococfl.org.  The website for One Church One Child of Florida is www.ococfl.org.