All Our Kids, Inc. is excited to announce its first Appreciation and Awards Brunch, taking place Saturday, Nov. 11, at Summit View Banquet and Meeting House, 555 Northampton St., Holyoke. This special event will take place from 9:00AM to 11:30AM.
In honor of National Adoption Month, this fundraising event will recognize the foster and adoptive families and social workers on the front lines of the Massachusetts child welfare system.
Mary Ann Hanlon, an adoptive parent stated, “My son, Michael, was a foster child who came to our family at 2 weeks old and his adoption was made final in 2011 on National Adoption Day! As foster/adoptive parents, it’s important to have the support from other foster/adoptive parents and families. And the work AOK helps to do just that. But we can’t do it alone.”
The celebration of this amazing community, which AOK plans to make an annual event, will feature a brunch buffet, raffle prizes, and inspiring talks.
AOK’s special guest and keynote speaker will be Kathryn Harrison. Harrison and her husband, Bruce, began their journey as foster parents in 1989. Over the next 30 years they fostered more than 120 children and adopted four daughters. They were named Foster Parents of the Year in 1996 and received the prestigious Goldie Rogers Award in 2002. Kathryn also received the Ellen Sedlis Child Advocate of the Year Award in 2008. Kathryn served as a Massachusetts Approach to Partnerships in Parenting (MAPP) co-leader and developed trauma-based behavior management training that she presented around the state. She was the Parents and Children Together (PACT) coordinator in the Greenfield/Northampton office and participated in the Parenting Partner Program. During those years, she wrote two books about her experiences — “Another Place at the Table” and “One Small Boat: The Story of a Little Girl, Lost Then Found” — which helped launch a career in public speaking.
Harrison will be available to sign copies of her book following the event.
The brunch will be a celebration of families and social workers who partner to benefit children whose lives are touched by foster care. AOK is currently seeking nominations in its efforts to identify these individuals and families. Those interested in nominating a foster/adoptive parent or family, or social worker, complete the online form at https://fosteringaok.org/nomination-form/ by Sunday, Oct. 15.
Tickets are $25 per person or $200 for a table of 10. Admission and raffle tickets and can be purchased online at https://fosteringaok.org/awards. Those interested in volunteering may also visit the site to learn more about those opportunities.
All Our Kids is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to empower Western Massachusetts foster and adoptive families to thrive by enriching community connectedness, providing education and resources, and helping the public understand and support their experience. For more information, visit https://fosteringaok.org.
