Expanding LGBTQ+Families
Lehigh Valley Organizations Co-Host Virtual Conversation on Foster Care and Adoption for LGBTQ Families
May is National Foster Care Awareness Month.
ALLENTOWN, PA - Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center, The Children’s Home of Reading, and The KingSpry Law Firm will present a special virtual conversation on Monday, May 3 at 6 PM Eastern in recognition of National Foster Care Awareness Month.
The conversation, moderated by Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center’s health programs and supportive services manager Kimberly Levitt, will cover a range of topics, including the legal aspects of open and closed adoptions, the process of working with different types of agencies, the impact of the Family First Prevention Services Act, and busting myths about who can be a foster parent/family.
“The landscape of parenting options for LGBTQ individuals and couples has grown considerably in recent years,” Levitt said. “Foster parents and families play an important role in our community, and this discussion will provide reliable expert advice for those looking to adopt or foster children in the future.”
“There is a tremendous need for foster care families across the United States and, when the goal of reunification is not possible, adoptive families,” said Jill Troutman, VP of Advancement, Marketing, and Communications for The Children’s Home of Reading. “We are always in need of responsible, caring individuals who want to provide a stable, safe home full of understanding. We have always been an inclusive agency, and we have foster families who are single, seniors, couples, LGBTQ, married, homeowners, and renters -- and we are excited to partner with both these organizations to help the over 25,000 children throughout Pennsylvania who enter the foster care system each year.”
“While there was a pause at the onset of the pandemic, the courts have good procedures in place, and we are actually handling more adoptions than ever,” said Dorota Gasienica-Kozak, KingSpry’s chair of Adoption and Assisted Reproductive Technology Law.
The virtual event will premiere on Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center’s Facebook and YouTube pages. Closed captioning will be available on YouTube.
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About Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center (www.BradburySullivanCenter.org)
Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center provides arts, health, youth, and pride programs to
strengthen and support the LGBTQ community across the Greater Lehigh Valley.
About The Children’s Home of Reading (BuildingKidsLives.org)
The Children’s Home of Reading continues to evolve to meet the needs of the children and families in crisis throughout Pennsylvania, providing trauma-informed mental, behavioral, educational and community programs and services through our 11 programs, with offices in Berks County, Schuylkill County, and the Greater Lehigh Valley.
About KingSpry
KingSpry is a full service, LGBT-friendly law practice located in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Legal practice areas include adoption, assisted reproductive technology, family law, employment, business, real estate, estates/trusts, and civil litigation. KingSpry was honored to be named an LGBT Community Partner of the Year in 2019 by Bradbury-Sullivan LGBT Community Center and are active volunteers in the center’s legal clinic. For more information, visit www.kingspry.com.
