Columbia Gorge News
www.columbiagorgenews.com
Wednesday, June 2, 2021
B1
COMMUNITY
ODHS certification team for Wasco, Sherman, Hood River, Gilliam and Wheeler counties are, left to right, Clair Stevenson, Ashley Handley, Mathew Kintner (supervisor) Tracey Gower and Toni Hughes
(program manager).
Photo courtesy of ODHS
Foster Parent Appreciation Month celebrated by
Oregon Department of Human Services in May
Submitted by Marvin Hamilton
■ May
was Foster Parent Appreciation month. In 1988, The
U.S. government has issued annual proclamations in recog-
nition of National Foster Care Month, celebrated in May, to
show appreciation and gratitude to foster parents.
Foster care intends to provide a safe environment for chil-
dren who temporarily cannot live with their families. Foster
care is a part of the constellation of services provided to chil-
dren and families by the Children’s Bureau, Administration
for Children and Families, and U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services. Foster Care Month is a time to recog-
nize how foster care supports and strengthens families, to
honor the experiences of the children and young people in
foster care, and to show gratitude for the contribution that re-
source families make to the well-being and safety of children
and families throughout Oregon.
The Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS)
theme of the month was “Foster Care Can Strengthen the
Whole Family.”
ODHS, Child Welfare Division, believes that foster care
should always be the last possible and temporary option for
a child and family when there is a child safety concern. The
trauma inflicted on a family by separating them during foster
care needs to be carefully considered, said an ODHS press
release. If foster care is necessary, reunification should be the
primary goal.
In Oregon, there are 5,975 children in foster care and
thousands of resource families who step up to support them
and their families. Of those numbers Wasco, Sherman, Hood
River, Gilliam and Wheeler counties have 61 children in care
and there are a total of 47 resource families. Of those families
only 20 are general foster care providers. We need more gen-
eral home care providers as well as providers who are willing
to take in children who identify as LGBTQIA+.
Resource families, formerly called foster families or foster
parents in Oregon, are affirming and supportive to both the
child and their family. Resource families ensure cultural
and community connections for children and young adults.
They work hard to partner with families to offset the tremen-
dous grief and loss children and young adults experiencing
foster care may have. They are partners in achieving the best
possible outcomes for families while providing for the safety,
health and well-being of the children and young people
they’re committed to caring for in their home. Resource
families in Oregon support family preservation and reunifi-
cation whenever possible and are also available to provide a
permanent and supportive home when needed.
“Wasco, Sherman, Hood River, Gilliam and Wheeler
counties have a limited amount of homes and the need for
more resource (foster families) is great. We do all we can to
train and support our families,” said an ODHS press release.
“We truly appreciate our families and thank them for all they
have done and all they continue to do. We also want to thank
those who have been resource/foster parents in the past. We
truly appreciate all your work and love you have showed the
children in your home.”
In Wasco, Sherman, Hood River, Gilliam and Wheeler
counties, the certifications team (persons who certify foster
and adoptive homes) have been working hard to let the
resource families know how much they are appreciated, said
an ODHS press release. The certification team handmade
and delivered 47 candy bouquets to all of the resource fami-
lies in all five counties. In each bouquet was a coffee card and
a lottery scratch-it ticket. The candy, lottery tickets and coffee
cards were provided by donations made by DHS staff in the
Dalles and Hood River office.
“There is still a great need for resource families (foster care
providers) and as you can see by our numbers we have more
children than resource homes,” said an ODHS press release.
“Our biggest battle is the fight to keep from placing a child
in a hotel for temporary lodging due to not having enough
homes in the Wasco, Sherman, Hood River, Gilliam and
Wheeler area.”
If you have an interest and want to help care for a child in
your area in your home please call 1-800-331-0503 or visit
fosterORadopt.com. If you would like to talk to somebody
directly and or make a donation to the resource families
please call 541-564-4484 and talk to Marvin Hamilton, DHS
recruitment and retention.
Marvin Hamilton is ODHS recruitment and retention
champion for district 9 and 12.
Happy Kids, Healthy Smiles for a Lifetime
Pediatric Dental Clinic Designed for Your Children
Now offering dental laser technology
anesthesia & pain free dentistry
1935 E. 19th St.
Suite 200
The Dalles, OR
541-296-8901
419 State Street
Suite 4
Hood River, OR
541-387-8688
© 2021 by Vicki Whiting, Editor Jeff Schinkel, Graphics Vol. 37, No. 27
Make a tiny story book and
read it to a friend or little
sister or brother!
1. Number each
part of the
story and each
picture in
order. Cut
them all out.
2. Match the
words with the
pictures in the
correct order.
3. Paste each set of
matching words and
picture on a small
piece of construction
paper to make nine
individual pages.
4. Draw a cover and
staple the pages
together to make
a tiny book.
Have you read these? If not, look for them at your local library. Have a family
folktale theater night! Make puppets of the characters and perform a show
of the folktale, or just act out the parts with your family members.
The other animals
thought the stripes
looked funny. Even
today Tiger hides in the
shadows. And he is still
searching for wisdom.
One morning, Tiger saw
his big, strong friend,
Water Buffalo, pulling a
plow in a field.
A man was telling Water
Buffalo what to do.
Tiger realized that
he’d been tricked. He was
furious as he pulled and
clawed until he broke free
of the ropes at last. But all
that struggling had burned
stripes into his beautiful
golden fur!
Long ago, Tiger was
one of the proudest
animals in the jungle.
He was proud of his
long fangs, his sharp
claws and his beautiful
golden fur.
Tiger asked Water
Buffalo, “Why do you
listen to that strange little
animal? He has no
claws or fangs or
even beautiful
golden fur.”
Tiger wanted
wisdom very badly, so he
agreed to be tied to the
tree. Then the man left
with his goats. Tiger
waited and waited. He
waited for a day. But the
man never came back.
The man said,
“Wait here. I will go
home and get wisdom
for you. But first,
please let me tie you to
this tree so that you
don’t eat my goats.”
The next morning,
Tiger saw the man
walking home with his
herd of goats. “STOP!”
Tiger roared. “Give me
your wisdom or I will
eat you!”
Which character in this
folktale was wise? Why do
you think that? Talk about it
with a family member.
Fill in the missing vowels to
discover the names of other
folktales you probably have
read or heard.
Water Buffalo
replied, “Tiger, that animal
is a human. He does not
need claws or fangs.
Humans have wisdom.”
Tiger thought to himself,
“Wow! I must get
wisdom!”
What is a folktale?
How Tiger Got Its Stripes is a folktale from Vietnam.
Folktales are stories that get passed from generation
to generation. They can change as different people
tell them over time. As such, they are created by
“the folk,” or the people. Long ago, these tales were
spoken and never written down.
FOLKTALE
SHADOWS
VIETNAM
BUFFALO
STRIPES
WISDOM
SPOKEN
TIGER
WATER
ROPES
GOATS
CLAWS
TREE
TALE
FUR
S O S W A L C E A R
E L C R A H I S N S
L A U G O T E F O P
A F G W R P E W T O
T F O T I G E R A K
K U A R I S E S L E
L B T S D E D O E N
O S S S H A D O W S
F M V I E T N A M S
Standards Link: Letter sequencing. Recognize identical
words. Skim and scan reading. Recall spelling patterns.
Good News Headline
Read newspaper headlines to see how they are
written. Think of some good news you would
like to see as a headline. Write a headline for
one or more good news articles.
Wisdom Words
Think of a phrase that
you think is wise. For
example, “Treat others
as you would want
people to treat you.”
Look through the
newspaper to find and
cut out the words that
make this sentence. Glue
the words onto a piece of
paper to remind you of
this piece of wisdom.
Standards Link: Research: Use the
newspaper to locate information.
Standards Link: Research: Use the newspaper to locate
information.
What is your favorite animal? Write
three facts and three opinions about
your favorite animal.
Children are born curious.
From their earliest days, sensory exploration
brings delight and wonder. New discoveries
expand their minds. When they unlock the
joy of reading, their world widens further.
Magic happens.
Kid Scoop opens the doors of discovery
for elementary school children by providing
interactive, engaging and relevant
age-appropriate materials designed to
awaken the magic of reading at school,
at home, and throughout their lives.
For more information about our literacy
non-profit, visit kidscoopnews.org