Festival of Tables

May 9, 2007

The 6th Annual Festival of Tables is coming at a critical time for Child and Family Services.
The event showcases the creativity of area women — and you really have to see this event to believe it — to benefit Child and Family Services, which provides foster care and other programs for about 500 area children each year in 13 counties in Northern Michigan. About 200 children are in foster care at any given time, removed from deeply troubled homes.
But the agency is scrambling for dollars because Michigan’s crippled budget isn’t providing the needed money to best serve the nearly 21,000 children in foster care throughout the state.
In fact, Michigan’s broken foster care system has attracted the attention of the New York-based group, Children’s Rights, which sued the Michigan Department of Human Services (MDHS) last August. The group isn’t looking for damages or money, but is demanding that the state make changes to the system.
The suit charges that many children aren’t getting the physical and mental health care they need in the state’s foster homes. As a result, they are moved from one home to another; some children are being physically abused, neglected, and in rare cases, they have died. The MDHS immediately entered into talks with Children’s Rights to resolve the issues. Children’s Rights has successfully sued six other states.

NO MONEY
MDHS concedes its foster care system has problems and wants to make changes, but there’s no money for improvement. The MDHS director announced last month that the state will no longer negotiate with Children’s Rights in good faith because there is simply no money to improve the system. The state unsuccessfully argued for dismissal for the suit, so it will likely go to trial.
“Any approach to improving child welfare takes resources,” said Marianne Udow, MDHS director in a press release. “We’ve seen it in other states, and it is true in Michigan as well.”
That’s why Governor Jennifer Granholm has recommended investing an additional $35 million to continue fundamental reforms that have already resulted in fewer children in the foster care system, fewer children re-entering the foster care system, and more children placed with relatives, Udow said.
The additional funding would allow DHS to move thousands more children into permanent homes through adoption or a new subsidized guardianship option. The funding would also make it possible for more relative caregivers to become licensed foster parents, she said.
In Traverse City, the folks at Child and Family Services are trying to make up for the inadequate funding of foster care with fund raisers, private donations, grants, and applying for money from other government branches.
“We’re hoping to raise $100,000 with Festival of the Tables, which provides about 20 percent of our fund raising budget,” said CFS Marketing and Public Relations Director Gina Aranki.

GETTING BY
In these challenging times, Aranki said that Child and Family Services continues to provide the best services possible, with staff often bypassing vacation and comp time. CFS is also committed to additional services for kids, such as independent living classes for youth close to aging out of foster care who need life skills. There is also the Safe Haven Supervised Visitation and Exchange program, where families that have experienced domestic violence can exchange or visit their children in a safe place.
Some of the money raised by Festival of Tables helps pay for the extras for a child that are beyond the basics of food, clothing and shelter. “Music or dance lessons and the ability to participate in a sport are vital to a child’s ability to heal from trauma and explore his or her aptitudes and interests,” Aranki said.
The public resources for foster care have never been quite enough, but community support has never been more important, Aranki said.
“We are in a really, really bad time by anyone’s definition,” she said. “Legislators of all political stripes have got to come together solve this budget crisis.
“Maybe it’s time to start calling taxes ‘user fees,’” Aranki suggested. “Do we want good roads, good schools, decent parks, and money to provide for neglected and abused children? Then we need to be willing to pay for them. The danger of services being slashed to smithereens is dire.”
“Meanwhile, our community can help by coming to the Festival of Tables, or to call us about volunteer and advocacy opportunities. There are plenty of ways to make a huge difference in the life of a child.”


The 6th Annual
Festival of Tables

This fundraiser for Child and Family Services features nearly 40 beautifully designed dining tables, food and wine samplings, gourmet lunch, great silent auction and raffles, and tons of ideas for creative home entertainment

Saturday, May 12, 2007 • 10am – 2pm
Grand Traverse Resort

Tickets are $50 per person or a table of 10 for $450. For reservations and information call 231.946.8975