MAYVILLE — The Chautauqua County Department of Health and Human Services Home Finding Team will offer a Foster Parent Open House on Thursday, Aug. 23 from 4 to 6 p.m. The event will take place at the Cassadaga campus of Park United Methodist Church, 25 Maple Ave., Cassadaga.

If you enjoy working with children and would like to help families in our community, consider attending this event. During the event, attendees will learn about the various foster care and adoption programs and meet our Home Finding Team. This event is free and open to the public. Preregistration is not required.

Foster Care services in Chautauqua County provide out-of-home care for children in the custody of the Commissioner of Social Services. Foster care plays an important role in providing temporary, safe and nurturing homes to children when their parents are unable to care for them.

Children are placed in foster homes in situations where they have been removed from their own families because they have been abused and/or neglected or because other family problems exist that endanger their safety. The children may range from infancy through 18 years of age and may have special medical, physical or emotional needs; the children may belong to any ethnicity or race and be part of a group of brothers and sisters who need to remain together.

“In Chautauqua County, there are currently 112 children in foster care; 55 percent of them are 5 years of age and under,” said Leanna Luka-Conley, Deputy Commissioner of Adult, Children, and Family Services. “Becoming a foster parent is a rewarding and challenging opportunity to change someone’s life. Children of all ages in our own communities are in need of ‘professional parents’ to give them a good, temporary home and a chance to succeed in life.”

If you are interested in more information regarding the programs but are unable to attend the event, please call 661-8051 or 363-3570. You can also visit www.chqhhs.com or our Facebook page, CCFosterParent.