Community groups join forces to offer foster families night of fun

Community groups join forces to offer foster families night of fun

Free Arts Arizona and the Musical Instrument Museum (MIM) opened their hearts to foster families once again.

Last Saturday, over 400 foster parents and children attended the museum free of charge to experience music and culture from the peoples who live along the Andes Mountain range.

“Our foster families make sacrifices every day so vulnerable children have a safe and loving home,” said DCS Director Greg McKay. “So we are grateful that MIM and Free Arts Arizona worked together to give foster families this great opportunity.”

Attendees watched South American musical performance, danced in a Chilean dance workshop, and played traditional Peruvian instruments.

“Our family had a wonderful time at the MIM on Saturday. It's such an amazing, educational place and the hands-on instrument room can keep my kiddos occupied for hours. They just love it,” said one foster parent who attended the event with six children. “With so many kiddos, these types of experiences can be costly, oftentimes preventing us from doing certain things we would love to do.  I am so grateful that MIM sponsored this event for foster families and appreciate all who made it possible.”  

This is the second time Free Arts Arizona and the Musical Instrument Museum partnered with the Department of Child Safety. Back in May, the groups hosted an exclusive “Experience Polynesia Day” for foster families at the museum. About 100 attendees participated in that event.

“MIM and Free Arts of Arizona bring unique arts experiences to hundreds of Arizona foster families, recently reunited families, and refugee families,” said Niki Cuccinotto, education specialist at the Musical Instrument Museum. “The hard-working Free Arts team connects families to MIM who might not otherwise have access. Once on-site, though, the real impact is in those moments that families get to bond, learn something new, and create memories together, all while exploring the world of music.”

You can help too

DCS always welcomes support for children in foster care from the business or non-profit community.

If you own a business or are part of an organization looking for ways to help children in foster care, consider holding an event for foster families to enjoy or reserve a few places at your event for foster families to attend.

For more information on how you can include foster families in your next event, contact the DCS Community Liaison at [email protected].

ABOUT DIRECTOR GREGORY MCKAY

Gregory A. McKay is a twenty-year veteran of Law Enforcement with an emphasis on criminal investigations of violent crime. He was awarded Arizona's Investigator of the Year for solving many high-profile child murder cases. As a former Arizona foster parent, he understands the lasting emotional and physical effects of abuse to a child. In 2013, he was awarded Childhelp USA’s Heart of an Angel Award, recognizing his distinguished career in child advocacy, investigative expertise, and removal of child predators. McKay was appointed Director of DCS by Governor Douglas A. Ducey on February 10, 2015.

Director McKay has led several breakthrough initiatives for the department. Under his leadership, DCS has successfully completed the backlog of uninvestigated cases that had plagued the department for years. The department also safely reduced the number of children in state foster care by 10% in 2016, thus reversing a ten-year growth trend of 92%. By eliminating hotline hold times, reducing staff caseloads, decreasing congregate care and increasing family and community engagement in the service of the state’s most vulnerable children, the state is poised to meet Director McKay’s goal of making Arizona the safest place in the country for children to grow and thrive.

ABOUT THE DEPARTMENT OF CHILD SAFETY (DCS)

The Department of Child Safety is dedicated to the vision that “Children thrive in family environments free from abuse and neglect.” As highly motivated and caring public servants, the DCS team is committed to fulfilling this mission with excellence, providing safety and well-being for the most vulnerable population in Arizona - our children. If you suspect child abuse, call 888-SOS-CHILD.