Dear editor,

Recently, Napa County Foster Care Advocates and other concerned community groups and individuals sponsored the first annual Napa County Foster Care Forum. An estimated 150 people attended this event to learn more about the condition of foster care in our community and what we can do to improve the lives of foster youth and parents.

We were fortunate to have an interesting slate of expert panelists who enlightened us about foster care challenges and opportunities. The speakers included Brian Cahill, executive director, Catholic Charities (San Francisco); John Diaz, award-winning editor and writer for the San Francisco Chronicle; Barry Feinberg, COO, Sunny Hills Services; Mitch Findley, founding member of VOICES; Peggy Smith, Napa foster parent; and Linda Canan, director of the Child Welfare Services Division of Napa County Health and Human Services and co-chair of Foster Care Advocates.

We wish to express our gratitude to Napa County Supervisor Bill Dodd for expertly moderating the event and his tireless commitment to foster youth and parents. Thank you also to the local agencies who made this event possible, including Foster Care Advocates, CASA -- A Voice for Children, Foster Kids Fund, Foster Parents Network, Junior League of Napa-Sonoma, Napa Chamber of Commerce, Napa County Child Welfare Services, Napa County Office of Education -- Educational Foster and Homeless Youth Services, Napa County Probation Department and VOICES. More than 20 local businesses and individuals contributed the funding needed to underwrite the event.

We also want to thank the Napa Valley Register for its continuing coverage of foster care issues. A Register article about a foster child adoption helped spark the creation of Foster Care Advocates last year. We now have more than 50 organizations and agencies participating in our group working together to find solutions to the problems our foster care youth and parents are facing.

Foster Care Advocates is an ad hoc group that meets monthly. We are working on several key tasks, including building awareness of foster care concerns in our community, establishing an appropriate facility for children entering the foster care system and respite for foster parents. We welcome others in our community to join us in supporting our foster children and parents.

For more information, please contact Jim Asbury at 255-1811/jimasbury@bellproducts.com; or Linda Canan, director of the Child Welfare Services Division of Napa County Health and Human Services, 299-115/lcanan@co.napa.ca.us.

Jim Asbury, president

Bell Products

Napa

Linda Canan, director

Child Welfare

Services Division

Napa