New Campaign To Recruit Foster Parents

Hamilton County leaders said the tragic murder of foster child, Marcus Fiesel is having a direct impact on the foster care system.

Officials said fewer and fewer families are applying to serve as foster parents.

But a new campaign hopes to change that.

It's a recruitment campaign called "Everyday Heroes."

The goal is to recruit at least 100 new foster families this year.

Pat McCollum's family keeps getting larger and larger over time. She's fostered more than 50 children over the past 25 years.

"I've always wanted a real big family. And that I have now. I have a large family," McCollum said.

McCollum is encouraging people to sign-up as foster parents as part of a collaborative effort between public and private organizations to recruit new families.

This public service announcement will air on local television stations.

Foster parents are dressed in a super hero costume, but they're shown doing everyday chores and errands.

The director of Hamilton County Job and Family Services, Moira Weir said it's meant to send the message that you don't have to be a super hero to be a foster parent.

"You have to be over 21 years of age. You can be married. You can be single. You can be divorced. You can be widowed," Weir explained.

Hamilton County Commissioner, Todd Portune, said the lack of foster families forces the county to place children in other counties and that's costing taxpayers millions of dollars.

"We have to place more kids out of county, which makes the outcome more difficult to become more successful" said Portune.

"It takes them from stable environments to unfamiliar places. It also costs the county money, an extra $15 to $20 million because of those out of county placements," Portune said.

McCullom adopted her foster son, D.J. who has physical disabilities. She says fostering can be difficult, especially if a child has behavioral problems, but she said the final pay off of a child's love is worth it.

"Once a child knows that you love them unconditionally, you're not going to give up on them. You are not going to ask them to be removed. That behavior pretty well changes," McCollum said.

The campaign's goal is to raise $1 million. The Lindner family donated the first $100,000.

There will also be television and billboard ads to help spread the word.