Children’s Services and Programs By Ed Conn, Creative Director, TSN Last October, when I was on a lunch break from a seminar, I sat with three women who were telling their stories of being foster parents in the Toledo area. They shared touching moments, as well as troubling stories that make up the foster care system. I knew almost nothing about foster care and proposed this month’s theme to our editorial group in November. I solicited the help of a friend who had been a foster parent, became an adoptive parent, and could help us navigate through the web of this system and help us tell a story that gets very little attention. The article on page 10 Unveiling Complexities: Exposing Challenges and Opportunities within the Child Welfare System tells the story from a personal view. Ben Stalets, our TSN Vendor Manager, shares his journey this year as a Big Brother with the Big Brothers Big Sisters of Northwest Ohio. Angela Jennings, TSN Intern and incoming senior at Toledo School for the Arts, interviewed a foster mother who became an adoptive parent along with one of her adoptive daughters who is now an adult. This issue, I interviewed Penny Meeker, founder of BeLove Parenting, and chatted about parent coaching and how she helps parents make intentional parenting decisions. Toledo is known as a family friendly city and we were not at a loss for opportunities from the Zoo to the Metroparks; from Imagination Station to the Arts Commission’s Young Artists at Work summer internship. On page 4, you will fi nd a piece on all the kid friendly activities associated with the National Museum of the Great Lakes. The Metroparks offer s a host of programs including a new program, Amazing Athletes, at Swan Creek which will focus on fi tness, friendship and outdoor exploration. The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium has parent/child opportunities including the popular Stroller Safari. ZooTeen is back again this summer. Although all the spots are fi lled for 2024, it’s never too early to consider for next year. The Toledo Lucas County Library is celebrating 100 years of its Summer Read Program. This year the Library celebrates one whole century of Summer Read with concerts, events, and yes, of course, reading! Partners In Education, celebrating its 30th anniversary, is putting out a call for volunteers to support their literacy and college and career readiness programs in over 16 K-12 schools. Toledo, we are looking forward to a wonderful summer and wish all of our families a fun and safe season. Buy a Paper Get Informed Take Action Photo Courtesy of Toledo Zoo The Buck Starts Here Toledo Streets and its vendors are a powerful, community driven solution to the problem of homelessness. Our vendors earn their way out of their individual situations through a collaboration of journalism, local business partners and their own hard work. Use these four steps to be a part of the solution. Meet Vendors • Vendors -- the people who sell the paper -- are at the core of Toledo Streets' mission. Each year more than 70 indiviuals work as vendors with Toledo Streets. At any given time, more than 25 vendors are at work, in the rain, snow, or heat. Vendors play an active role in the management of TS, meeting regularly to discuss issues of concern and even serving on our board. • With the money made selling the newspaper, vendors are able to secure basic needs, independence and dignity, and work toward obtaining housing. Vendors buy papers for a quarter and sell them for a $1, keeping all income and tips for each sale. Toledo Streets tries to tie its editorial to three basic principals: • Inspiring Hope, Fostering Community, and Cultivating Change. We are a member of INSP, our global organization of street papers around the world which provides us with content relevent to social justice, homelessness, and street community around the world. • Donate to the organization and give vendors experiencing homelessness and poverty a hand up. It supports not only the paper but also issues throughout NW Ohio. • Volunteer your time and expertise and help the organization grow. • Share Toledo Streets with your network, and tell people about the organization. Page 3
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