FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 29, 2024
Contact: Santino R. Thomas
(518) 949-4809 | [email protected]
ALBANY, N.Y. – St. Catherine’s Center for Children was recently awarded a $25,000 American Rescue Plan Act grant from the City of Kingston Nonprofit Services program to support the agency’s Foster Care and Kinship Care programs which serve children removed from parental care in a therapeutic home setting in the Hudson Valley. This grant also supports the recruitment and retention of foster families and provides respite services and more for kinship families.
“We cannot thank the City of Kingston enough for this grant. The positive impact these funds will have for children and families in the Hudson Valley cannot be overstated,” said Cindy Kouhout, executive director of St. Catherine’s Center for Children. “This grant allows our agency the ability to expand its reach and aid the healing of many more children while providing essential support to their caregivers. This complementary approach provides the children and families we serve a greater chance of success.”
“What an extraordinary contribution from the City of Kingston,” said Michele Puleo O’Hare, executive director of the Foundation of St. Catherine’s Center for Children. “These funds ensure we are able to meet the needs of our most vulnerable children and families. Thank you to the City of Kingston!”
Children in the Foster Care program are matched with trained foster parents and families who provide a safe and stable home environment. The process begins with St. Catherine’s professional home finders identifying potential foster care providers. After the child is placed, St. Catherine’s provides 24/7 staff support, peer-to-peer meetings with other foster parents, respite services and additional training and resources to help foster families succeed.
St. Catherine’s Kinship Care program is a dedicated service that supports families in cases in which a family member or a close friend takes guardianship of a child or children. This award-winning program provides resources and support to kinship families in Greene and Ulster counties as well as in the Capital Region. The program aims to connect caregivers with a variety of community and public support services that will ultimately allow them and the children they care for to be successful.
“We are beyond grateful to the City of Kingston Nonprofit Services for supporting our Foster Care and Kinship Care programs,” said Melinda Gonzalez, director of foster care and kinship care for St. Catherine’s. “Grants such as these allow us to keep providing safe places for children to heal and grow.”
St. Catherine’s Foster Care and Kinship Care programs are at the heart of its mission to offer hope, foster growth and improve the lives of those it serves.
The willingness of St. Catherine’s Center for Children to embrace change and develop new services is, and will remain, our guiding philosophy as we support human service needs, throughout the region, by providing a comprehensive range of services designed to offer hope, foster growth and improve the lives of the children, families and adults we serve.
For more information, http://www.st-cath.org.
