Category: Blog Articles

Da’Chelle (Shelly) Burnett serves as our Performance and Quality Improvement Coordinator working with Supportive Services. Da’Chelle started her non-profit career in direct care roles for youth and families experiencing homelessness. She previously worked as a shelter care facilitator, case coordinator, and data analyst at Catholic Charities Diocese of Kalamazoo. Da’Chelle has a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism, a Bachelor of Science in Social Work (BSW), and a Master of Science in Social Work (MSW) with a focus in Program Evaluation.   Years in nonprofit – 5 Why you wanted to be in this field: I was raised in predominantly African American…

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Elisabeth Mulholland serves as our Care Coordinator. She brings with her nine years of experience and a passion for reunification, recruiting new foster care families, and creating an antiracist foster care system.  “We’re truly thankful for Elisabeth’s creativity, and her drive to create system-wide change to improve outcomes for youth in Kent County Foster Care,” her supervisor shared.  Years in nonprofit – 9 Why you wanted to be in this field: I have a passion for advocating for children and families through promoting reunification. What is your role at WMPC? What are your responsibilities in this role? I am a…

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West Michigan Partnership for Children (WMPC) has promoted Krystle Bailey to Care Coordination Manager. Krystie has more than ten years’ experience in child welfare including working in Children’s Protective Services, residential, and foster care.

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We have released our quarterly newsletter. Inside you will find our most recent successes, newest staff members, trainings and resources! Find our Newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/7487703e9ec8/q3-newsletter-more-5490145 To be on our mailing list, simply subscribe at the link above and you will immediately be “in the know” with what we are doing here at WMPC.

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We have released our quarterly newsletter. Inside you will find our most recent successes, newest staff members, trainings and resources! Find the full newsletter here: https://mailchi.mp/f8e67e5ae855/q3-newsletter-more To receive our quarterly newsletters directly to your inbox, subscribe on our home page.

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Written by Kristina Donaldson, WMPC Parent Planner As a parent, one of life’s greatest joys is being able to watch your child(ren) grow up right before your eyes. And one of life’s greatest sorrows is having to give up your child(ren) by losing them to the system. Having to leave them in the hands of a stranger is scary for not only the child(ren) but for the parent(s). And while it may be in the best interest of the children at the time, the guilt of abandonment and self-shaming creates a sense of emptiness. Many birth parents struggle with their…

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What is Juneteenth and why is it celebrated? Juneteenth is a holiday marking the end of slavery in the United States. In the confusion and turmoil as the Civil War drew to a close, many black people did not immediately learn of General Robert E. Lee’s April, 1865 surrender to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in Virginia. In fact, Texans fought on through May, when they finally learned that the war had truly ended. When Union Army General Gordon Granger landed at the Texas Port City of Galveston to take command of the military district of Texas, one of his first actions…

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Every single person in the Kent County community is capable of making a positive impact in a foster child’s life.  Yes, even you!   For more than 25 years, CASA of Kent County has equipped volunteers from all walks of life to advocate for children placed in foster care due to abuse and neglect.   CASA is an acronym for Court Appointed Special Advocates. A CASA Volunteer focuses on getting to know one foster child or sibling group, their situation, and their needs, by seeing the child(ren) once a week and staying involved in their lives the entire time they are in…

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There are nearly 400,000 children in foster care in the United States, 13,000 in the State of Michigan, and 800 in Kent County alone.   May is National Foster Care Month — a time where we collectively renew our commitment to ensuring bright futures for the more than 800 children and youth in foster care in Kent County, and a time in which we celebrate those who make a meaningful difference in their lives.  This year, Foster Kent Kids has partnered with CASA of Kent County and the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) to sponsor the #BeMyPerson campaign…

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