Faith, family and community. These are what mattered most to FAFS’ founder Bernie Dondiego, who passed away on July 7, 2015.
To read our full tribute to Bernie, visit our website.
A Tribute to Bernie Dondiego, FAFS Founder
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Author Archives: Lloyd Nelson, FAFS Digital Media Coordinator
A Brief History of Resource Family Rates
For a long time, resource family rates in New Jersey were stagnant and did not correlate with the actual cost of raising a child. But with the help of FAFS and the United States District Court for the District of New Jersey, rates are now linked to the USDA and are updated annually.
We have a story we like to tell here at Foster and Adoptive Family Services.
It involves our co-founder Sue Dondiego. She was standing before the Legislature at the State House in Trenton in the 1970s to fight for increased resource family rates. At the time, the monthly clothing allowance for a child in foster care was about equal to one-third of the price of a new children’s coat. Continue reading
Kinship Legal Guardianship: A Primer
Kinship placement is a growing priority in foster care throughout the U.S.
Kinship Legal Guardianship
The History of Orphanages
The word orphanage often conjures up images of raggedy Oliver Twist and Annie in destitute surroundings with scores of poor children, but the institution holds a vital place in the history of caring for foster children dating back to the late 19th century.
During a time when few options existed, orphanages housed and cared for children who were abandoned or whose parents were temporarily unable to care for them. Continue reading
A Former Foster Child’s Recollection of Hattie Talley
We meet thousands of people in a lifetime with many of them disappearing in the annals of memory. But every so often there’s one person you come across, whether it’s for seven minutes or seven years, that changes your life forever.
Hattie Talley, Founder New Jersey Foster Parent Association (now known as Foster and Adoptive Family Services)
That’s what Hattie Talley, co-founder of Foster and Adoptive Family Services (FAFS), was for Susan Roseboro.
After becoming a foster child in 1966 at age 13 following her parent’s divorce, Roseboro spent time in four foster homes, each leaving little impression and less connection.
The fifth home, however, changed everything. Continue reading