Walk to raise funds for foster parents

Foster parents in Idaho could use a little extra cash as the cost of necessities for kids under their care can add up fast, and unexpected expenses can pop up any time.

To help with this need, Coeur d'Alene-Hayden-Post Falls area residents are expected to participate in a nationwide fundraiser Saturday for foster parents called "Walk Me Home...to the place I belong," at Blue Dog RV, at 4490 W. Riverbend Ave., in Post Falls.

The fundraiser is a 5K walk sponsored by the Idaho Foster and Adoptive Parents Association and the National Foster Parents Association. It will be one of more than 100 such fundraising walks held throughout the country.

"Sometimes we can get a call in the middle of the night," said Kristy Peterson, of Hayden, who is caring for three foster children now. "We are on call."

Peterson said the money foster parents get from nonprofit organizations - such as the Idaho Foster and Adoptive Parents Association - is becoming more and more important "as the economy gets tighter and tighter."

Julie Pratt, recruitment coordinator for the Idaho Child Welfare Research and Training Center in Coeur d'Alene, said, "Due to these economic times, the need for resources is even greater. With limited budgets, foster families are providing more items for the youth in their care."

Peterson, who takes in children from birth to 5 years old, said the money she gets helps pay for just essentials: Diapers, formula, car seats, booster seats, bedding, clothes and more.

For older kids it helps pay for school supplies and enables them to engage in sports and other activities at school.

"It allows them to do things so they feel more like a normal student," Peterson said.

Peterson said subsidy checks to foster parents from the state don't cover all the costs for essentials, making donations from nonprofits important.

Parents whose kids are in foster care often are dealing with medical problems, are struggling financially, or they have neglected or abused their children, she said.

"It's pretty rough out there," Peterson said.

Foster parents "give a child a safe, loving home environment while their parents get their situation under control," she said.

Regarding this weekend's fundraiser, about 70 percent of the funds raised in Idaho during the event will remain here to benefit local foster families. The rest goes to the national organization.

Registration for the fundraising event is at 10 a.m. Saturday, and the walk begins at 10:30 a.m. Participants also can register online at www.walkmehome.org.

In addition to raising money for the Idaho Foster and Adoptive Parent Association, the event organizers also hope to raise awareness about foster care issues and promote fostering.

Individuals and teams raise money before the event and then walk the 5K course holding pinwheels before tying a blue ribbon to symbolize the more than 1,300 children in Idaho in foster care. To participate in the event, a walker must collect at least $30 in donations.

Information: Julianne Rinard (208) 659-5960.