Celebrate Foster Care Awareness Day at the Bricktown Ballpark

OKLAHOMA CAPITOL -- The Oklahoma RedHawks will host Oklahoma foster children and their foster families for an afternoon at the AT&T Bricktown Ballpark Sunday, June 1. The 2:05 p.m. game against the Omaha Royals promotes Foster Care Awareness Day.

“This is a great partnership with the Oklahoma RedHawks to allow foster and adoptive families a fun day at the ballpark,” said Howard H. Hendrick, director of the Oklahoma Department of Human Services. “This is also a wonderful opportunity to create awareness about the need for loving resource families for the thousands of children in custody of OKDHS who need safe, temporary homes.”

The RedHawks provided 2,500 game day vouchers at a reduced cost to OKDHS to give to foster and adoptive families. Children will also have the opportunity after the game to run the bases, slide home and possibly meet RedHawks players.

Michael and Kathy Robinson and their adopted children Kooper Maikieng Robinson, 4, and Keegan D’Angelo Robinson, 3, will throw out the opening pitch. The Robinsons have been foster parents for OKDHS for 7 years.

More than 12,000 children are in the custody of OKDHS due to abuse and neglect in their homes. These children need foster and adoptive families to help them become happy, healthy adults. To qualify as a resource family, applicants may be single, married, legally separated or divorced; must have sufficient income to meet the needs of all members of the household; must submit fingerprints for national and state criminal history checks and attend 27 hours of pre-service training.

OKDHS foster care and adoption specialists will be available at the game to talk to families about being a resource family. Families may call 1-866-242-9088 or go to www.okdhs.org for more information.

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