SCHNECKSVILLE, PA (April 25, 2023) – KidsPeace Foster Care and Community Programs (FCCP) has announced that Monique Shoemaker of Muncy has been chosen as its 2023 State Foster Parent of the Year for Pennsylvania.

The recognition is part of KidsPeace’s National Foster Parent of the Year program, now in its second year as a celebration of National Foster Care Month in May.  Foster families from each of the six states served by KidsPeace FCCP are nominated to be considered for the National designation – to be announced at the KidsPeace FCCP Virtual National Conference on Saturday, May 6.

Ms. Shoemaker was chosen by state FCCP leadership for the recognition following her nomination by Jessie Young, program manager at the FCCP office in Williamsport. In her nomination Young noted Ms. Shoemaker’s work with sibling groups who are facing challenges related to health and traumatic experiences; her first group included a boy whose traumatic experiences led to destructive behaviors:

“Monique stood by this boy as he went to interviews at the Child Advocacy Center, when he confessed to his doctor of his sexual abuse and for parent teacher conferences to discuss his poor behavior in school.  She found him counseling and gave him unending understanding and unconditional love.  This boy and his sister moved to be with a Kin resource.  Monique visits with him often and they talk on the phone.  While he continues to struggle, he has made incredible progress…

  … Mo really just wants to be a safe haven for children from hard places.  She makes them feel loved and wanted, often for the first time… All this is to say, Mo is an amazing foster parent.”

Selection as a KidsPeace FCCP State Foster Parent of the Year comes with a plaque and a monetary award.  The family chosen as the National Foster Parent of the Year also will receive an all-expenses-paid trip to trip to this year’s National Family Focused Treatment Association’s conference in Columbus, Ohio in July.

Since 1882, KidsPeace has been building on its expertise to give hope, help and healing to children, adults and those who love them. Through its comprehensive range of residential treatment programs; accredited educational services; unique psychiatric hospital and foster care and community-based programs, KidsPeace is dedicated to helping people connect, transform and overcome their challenges to ensure a stable future, transition to adulthood and gain independence. Since its doors opened, nearly 300,000 children have participated in one of the multitude of programs KidsPeace offers.

For additional resources or more information on how to get involved, become a foster parent or make a donation, please visit www.kidspeace.org. Follow us at www.facebook.com/kidspeace.org or on Twitter @KidsPeace.

 

Information Provided By:
Robert Martin
Director of Communications

 

 

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