Thanksgiving Hours

Please remember our office is not only closed on Thanksgiving Day, but also the day after. If you have business to conduct, we are open during normal business hours today and tomorrow.

I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends. I have much to be thankful for, not only this time of year, but all year. Every day on this job exposes me to a number of people whose lives have been turned upside down in some way, perhaps through the ugliness of child abuse or the randomness of a job layoff. It puts life into perspective.

 

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Mass Adoption Ceremony Brings Smiles and Tears of Joy

What a day!

Twelve children joined six families today in our Mass Adoption Ceremony. It was a tremendous day and every time Judge James Cissell proclaimed an adoption final and established a new family, the news was met with a great round of applause, plenty of smiles and even some tears of joy. 

The children were amazing. Some of them were so articulate and it really touched your heart when they described why they wanted to be adopted. I am humbled that our agency could play a part in making their dreams come true. 

Below, you will see links to some of the coverage of the event. I hope it touches you like it did me. And, if you are thinking of adopting, remember we still have about 200 children available for adoption. You can watch videos of many of them on our web site, http://www.hckids.org.

http://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/12-foster-kids-receive-forever-homes-in-hamilton-county-mass-adoption-ceremony

http://www.wlwt.com/news/local-news/hamilton-county/county-celebrates-adoption-efforts-with-group-adoption-event/-/13550662/23107784/-/yqi80x/-/index.html

http://www.local12.com/news/features/top-stories/stories/toddler-steals-attention-at-mass-adoption-ceremony-4922.shtml

 

 

 

 

 

Adoption Ceremony May Put a Lump in Your Throat

I am getting excited about our upcoming mass adoption ceremony on Nov. 22. We hold it every year to celebrate National Adoption Day and it always results in an emotional validation of the work we do here at JFS.

When you work in the field of abused and neglected children, there are a lot of tough days. The thousands of children we work with each year have really sad stories behind them.

Nov. 22 is going to be a positive day — a day of celebration. Fifteen children will forever join seven families. Believe me when I tell you that what happens in that ceremony will put a smile on your face and, possibly, a lump in your throat.

I wrote about the ceremony in our latest edition of Update. You can read what I wrote at  http://www.hcjfs.hamilton-co.org/UpdateNew2013/November/Cover.htm

We are livestreaming the event. I hope you will join in the fun!

Food Assistance Amounts Will Change in November

Just a friendly reminder that the 2009 Recovery Act’s temporary boost to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits ended today and Hamilton County food assistance recipients will see a reduction in their monthly allotment.

The amount of your reduction will vary depending on family size and such. For example, a family of four will lose about $36 a month. Please visit our website for more detail: http://www.hcjfs.hamilton-co.org/Demo/services/foodstamps/FSReduction.htm

Families were receiving the extra amount as part of a stimulus package the federal government put together in the face of a faltering economy.  Likewise, the decision was made at the federal level to stop the extra payments.

Thank you for your understanding and patience.