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Hillsborough County Public Schools Names Douglas Foster Parent of the Year

Tampa , Fla. (March 7, 2007) – For more than 15 years, Sadie Douglas has welcomed some of Hillsborough County’s most vulnerable children into her home, showering them with attention, support, respect and most importantly, love. Hillsborough County Public Schools recognized her compassion, dedication and commitment recently by naming Douglas as its 2007 Foster Parent of the Year.

“It’s the fact that she treats every child in her care as if they were her own,” said Myrna Hogue, a social worker at Seminole Elementary School, who served as a member of a committee that spearheaded the initiative to nominate Douglas. “She really goes above and beyond what is typically required of foster parents by emphasizing the importance of a good education to the children and introducing them to experiences outside of the classroom like trips to local restaurants and attractions.”

The Foster Parent of the Year Award was created to recognize an outstanding Hillsborough County foster parent. The winner is selected by Superintendent of Schools, MaryEllen Elia, who receives recommendations from principals, school social workers and administrators at Hillsborough Kids, Inc., a non-profit agency created to oversee child protection services previously performed by the Department of Children and Families.

Douglas and her husband Robert, pastor of Full Gospel Church of God In Christ, are members of the inaugural class of prospective parents trained and approved by the Family Enrichment Center in 1993. The Family Enrichment Center is the only minority owned and operated child-placing agency in the Southeast.

The agency was founded by the College Hill Church of God In Christ in 1992 to address the critical shortage of African American foster homes in Hillsborough County. The agency now manages 105 multi-cultural foster homes throughout Hillsborough and its surrounding counties and provides a safe and nurturing environment to children from a variety of ethnic backgrounds.

“Mrs. Douglas truly has a heart for children and that quality is what makes her an ideal foster parent,” said Olga S. Stirrup, Executive Director of the Family Enrichment Center. “She shows constant support of the children by attending school activities, such as parent/teacher conferences and awards ceremonies. And she doesn’t mind providing them with the little extras like hair bows and new clothes that go a long way toward improving their self esteem.”

In Hillsborough County, there are more than 5,000 children in the foster care system. To learn more about how you can help, or to become a foster parent, contact the Family Enrichment center at 813-237-2530, ext. 13.

About the Family Enrichment Center
Founded by the College Hill Church of God In Christ in 1992, the mission of The Family Enrichment Center is to address the social service and family support needs of vulnerable children. Steadfast in the belief that all children have the right to a permanent, caring family, the organization works diligently on a daily basis to help children live in stable families and communities.