Joy Closet hosted its third annual dinner on Thursday to spotlight how they plan to further support children in the foster care system and their adoptive families.
Joy Closet is a Hopkinsville based nonprofit focused on supporting foster care children, families and children in crisis in the Pennyrile region by providing them with need-based donated items such as clothing, toys and sanitary products.
Before moving back home to Hopkinsville, nonprofit Executive Director Heather Gray shared that she fostered children in Cookeville and while doing so she received help from the community. In the Pennyrile region, Gray says she is happy that Joy Closet is providing foster and kinship parents with that same village of support.
At the dinner, Joy Closet spotlighted how they are working to respond to challenges in the foster care system. At last year’s dinner Gray announced her plans for the Hope House and construction has gotten underway following a groundbreaking ceremony in June.
The Hope House will be for children who have been removed from their homes and will have beds, toys, clothing and other resources for children while Department for Community Based Services (DCBS) workers search for a family able to temporarily take them in.
Joy Closet Assistant Director, Tressy Wells narrated a skit of a DCBS worker removing three children from a home to show how the Hope House will be instrumental in the removal process.
Without the Hope House, the worker has to take care of the children in a DCBS office that does not have appropriate resources for children while they search for a placement. Wells says the Hope House will make the removal process more comfortable for both children and workers.
Hope House manager, Julia Roberts is a foster parent and has experienced the challenges that comes with taking in children that were not bathed, did not have extra clothes and had not eaten. Once the Hope House is operational, Roberts says DCBS workers will take the children to the Hope House where a Joy Closet volunteer will take care of them while the worker starts making calls to possible foster families.
Before the dinner concluded, the audience heard from keynote speaker Robbie McGehee DAlessandro via video. McGehee is social worker, licensed therapist and a foster parent.
She talked about her extensive experience in the foster care system and commended Joy Closet for their work providing resources to children in need. When Gray came to her with the idea for the Hope House, McGehee called it a no brainer. She reflected on many situations where the Hope House would have been instrumental.
To conclude the dinner, Gray asked for the audiences support so that they can continue helping children in need. More information about Joy Closet is available at joycloset.org.