Foster parents help kids find success
SOASTC seeking program volunteers; offers training, support
From our weekly issue dated February 17, 2010
Illinois Valley residents Skip Leahy (left) and Alison Arnold volunteer as foster treatment parents (I.V. News photo)
Illinois Valley resident Skip Leahy fondly remembers the volunteer program that he and his wife used to run at their former ranch.
The program ran for approximately 18 years, and some 400 volunteers came and went, but Leahy missed the companionship and the mentoring opportunities it provided. Fortunately, he was able to become a foster parent through the Southern Oregon Adolescent Study and Treatment Center (SOASTC).
The SOASTC foster parent program has been around approximately eight years. It was the first child-serving organization in Oregon to become accredited by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
SOASTC“s program strives to provide services to youth in the community with mental issues. The children range from 9 to 18 years old, and some have behavioral challenges. Others receive treatment through the program, including therapy, skills training and medication.
Gayle Parker serves as foster parent coordinator for the SOASTC program, and relates many of its success stories throughout the years. Those include at least one child receiving an academic award; others who have gone on to college; many who were behind in school and later reached their grade level; and some who were returned to their parents.
“Healing comes in relationships, and that“s what the program offers,“ Parker said.
The program currently is seeking more foster parents, and offers a strong support system to participants. That includes on-call support, daily check-ins, a $1,500 monthly reimbursement and two days of respite per month.
Requirements are in place for would-be foster parents, who must undergo a criminal background check and 36 hours of training. But Leahy said that it“s all worth it in the end.
“It“s a lot of work, but it“s rewarding,“ Leahy said.
He and his wife, Liz, have housed nine foster children through the program.
“Usually, people feel they have a calling for this,“ he said.
Also participating as a foster parent is O“Brien resident Alison Arnold.
Arnold said that she had long considered becoming involved in the program before becoming a foster parent last year. She“s glad she made that decision.
“I“m really impressed at the level of support I get and the kids get,“ Arnold said. “We participate as a team.“
Parker said that the parents in the program have meetings twice a month to engage in “collaborative problem-solving.“
“They become a support system for one another,“ she said. For more information, phone 541-956-4943, Ext. 1105 or visit soastc.org.
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