The Metropolitan Washington Council of Governments (COG) today launched a fundraising campaign through the on-line crowd-funding site Kickstarter, Inc. to support its creative efforts focused on the region’s foster parents. COG works to highlight the need for foster parents by creating documentaries and sponsoring events to honor foster parents in Washington, D.C., suburban Maryland and Northern Virginia.

For the last decade, the Council partnered with the Freddie Mac Foundation to support its efforts.  Last year, however, the Foundation, an arm of the federally-backed mortgage giant Freddie Mac Corp, moved to wind down its support for foster parent programs. COG will now work to highlight the program on its own.

Foster parents open their homes and their hearts to care for neglected and abused children, and also provide assistance to birth parents who want to care for their children, but need assistance temporarily.
“Foster parents provide an important safety net for children and families in the region.  Without them, hundreds of children would suffer without the safety and care of loving families,” said Kamilah Bunn, manager of COG’s Child Welfare program.  Krystal Fenwick, a program coordinator who works closely with the families, said foster parents “are ordinary people who do extraordinary things. Through our “Families Like Yours” campaign, we produce documentaries to tell their stories.”

Individuals and businesses can support the COG “Families Like Yours” Kickstarter campaign by going to the campaign page through June 14.  Donations can range from $10 to $1,000.