SYV Star Intern

In celebration of May as National Foster Care Month, nearly 100 families gathered on a gray Sunday afternoon, May 19, to enjoy a day of wellness, relaxation and fun at River View Park in Buellton.

The event was hosted and organized through “Our County. Our Kids,” a program of the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services. The program is in charge of resource (foster) family recruitment, retention, and support.

Each May, program staff host an event “to show appreciation for all the resource families who work tirelessly to protect, love, and support Santa Barbara’s most vulnerable youth,” said Social Media Associate Shanna MacLagan.

In California, the word “foster family” has been changed to “resource family” in order “to encompass all the different people (aunty, uncles, grandparents) who are resources,” said Marianne Reagan, the program manager with Child Welfare Services.

This year, the focus of the event was wellness. Massages, work-out sessions, face painting, and bounce houses were a few of the activities offered. Parents were encouraged to take a break and relax while the kids had fun.

Gustavo Prado, the staff member in charge of coordinating the event, emphasized the importance of the wellness of these resource families, who do what he calls “parenting plus.” Not only do these parents have the hard job of raising children who may have experienced trauma, but they also have to work closely with the county and social services.

“If we take care of our families, then they take better care of our kids,” Prado said.

The fitness sessions, split into age groups, by Santa Maria Custom Workouts were especially popular at the event.

Marc Gatson, owner of Custom Workouts, was proud to team up with “Our County. Our Kids” and help give back to the community.

As a previously troubled kid growing up in South Central Los Angeles, Gatson said, fitness “kept me off the streets and . . . showed me a healthy way of life.” This led to his personal motivation to start a gym with a focus on helping troubled kids.

“Fitness keeps the kids busy. It keeps them out of trouble and gives them mentorship and motivation,” said Gatson. … “The event gives me happiness. They motivate me. Them being determined to receive a healthy and positive lifestyle … a lot of these kids come from nothing.”

Children loved having unicorns and dinosaurs painted onto their cheeks and jumped exuberantly in the bouncy houses, but for many the best part of the event was the sense of community it built up among resource families.

Garret, 6 years old, said his favorite part was “getting together with my family.”

As Prado said, “It takes a village” to raise a child, and community and support are some of the most important ingredients.

“Resource parents can’t do it alone … it requires a jigsaw puzzle of support. The children belong to the community … to all of us,” he said.

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Businesses in Santa Barbara, Lompoc and Santa Maria are being asked to support foster families by offering discounts and coupons on Saturday morning, June 23, through a program called Inspire Business.

For example, Michaels in Santa Maria was one of the first to join the Inspire Business program and will be providing foster families and foster youth with 15 percent discounts. Michaels also will participate in community events to distribute coupons and raise awareness of the need for more foster parents.

In Buellton, Monighetti’s One Stop Livestock Supplies has also signed on to the program.

Inspire Business is a new effort by “Our County. Our Kids,” which is a program of the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services.

Many people don’t realize that youth in foster care have limited or no access to some of the amenities that community members enjoy, such as shopping or eating out with family and friends, a program spokesman said.

Businesses are invited to join the Inspire program by providing discounts on goods and services to foster families, also known as “resource families,” who are caring for children and youth in foster care.

Businesses are also encouraged to connect with area nonprofits to host fundraisers, donating funds or program supplies, serving as donation collection points, distributing outreach materials, or helping to promote upcoming information sessions to recruit more resource families.

“We are aware that there are many business owners and community organizations who are looking for ways to strengthen our community by elevating children and youth in foster care and the adults who support them,” said program official Gustavo Prado. “We are very excited to launch the Inspire Business Program and are grateful to the businesses who have already signed on.”

Interested organizations are also encouraged to provide work experience opportunities or internships to older foster youth who are preparing to enter adulthood.

Participating businesses and organizations are offered a variety of benefits to build their business exposure and increase awareness of their involvement in the program. For more information on how to participate, call Matt Pennon at 805-698-2703, email him at M.Pennon@OurCountyOurKids.org, or visit www.ourcountyourkids.org.

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Staff report

The meaning of “family” is becoming increasingly inclusive and diverse, as exemplified by Matt and Michael Pennon, a Los Alamos couple who are writing their own definition of family while helping foster children and youth in Santa Barbara County.

Resource parents like the Pennons are the new face of foster care, as new rules call for elevated levels of expertise and dedication to provide more help for new foster parents, according to the Santa Barbara County Department of Social Services.

The Pennons became resource parents in December 2014 through Our County, Our Kids, a program of the county Department of Social Services. Their hope was to find a child who was available for adoption, but they never anticipated the journey this process would take them on.

In 2015, the Pennons had five placements. Two of them reunified with biological parents, two have been on track for adoption by Matt and Michael, and the fifth child originally reunified with her biological family but recently re-entered care and has been recommended for adoption.

While it wasn’t easy to see the children come and go, the Pennons embraced the opportunity to make an impact.

“You make a difference in their lives whether they’re in your family for two days or two years,” Matt said.

In early 2016, Matt and Michael welcomed a now 4-year-old boy into their home, followed a few months later by an infant boy who recently turned six months.  Both boys will become permanent members of the Pennon family when their adoptions are final.

“It’s an amazing thing to come full circle in this process,” Matt said. “Walking alongside of a child from foster placement to adoption is not an experience you get to have as a traditional parent.”

The Pennons have been so inspired by the process of fostering, mentoring, and adopting that Matt has joined the Our County Our Kids program as a resource family recruiter and trainer.

Effective Jan. 1, new California legislation AB403 required all group homes for foster children and youth to obtain national accreditation and provide more specialized services to their residents, or shut their doors.  As a result, the need for supportive and well-trained resource families like the Pennons is more crucial than ever. At the moment, the Santa Maria, Lompoc, and Santa Ynez Valley areas have the greatest need for resource families for the more than 425 Santa Barbara County foster children and youth who need a place to call home.

Through the foster care and adoption process, the Pennons say, their increasingly diverse family has not only grown but also their marriage has grown and changed.

“The diversity of our family is the best part about it,” Matt said.  “But we have also become a much stronger, more patient couple.  We communicate better and have set more goals for each other and for our family.”

One of those goals includes Matt finishing his BS degree in sociology and obtaining his master’s degree in social work.

The Pennons believe that resource families have the power to improve the hand a child is dealt and they encourage others to take the life-changing step of opening their home to a foster child or youth.

“There’s always enough space in your heart to love a child,” Matt said.

For more information on getting involved with local foster children and youth, visit http://ourcountyourkids.org/.

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