Left to right: George Sheldon, Jackie Barlow, Mark Trinka and John Ide at Hephzibah’s Annual Meeting.
“Kids are 25 percent of our population but 100 percent of our future,” said George Sheldon, Illinois Director of the Department of Children and Family Services, when he visited Hephzibah Home on September 18, 2015 as part of the Annual Meeting.
Sheldon acknowledged three factors related to child welfare that must be addressed simultaneously in order to effect change.
“It’s about mental health, substance abuse, and economic stress,” Sheldon said. “It needs to be a partnership that addresses all three issues for any changes to be successful.”
Sheldon, who has been credited with turning around a troubled foster care system in Florida, said he didn’t come to Illinois with a magic formula. Sheldon said he is evaluating programs that work and will try to duplicate their results. He said he is impressed with the way Hephzibah works with its community.
Sheldon emphasized the need for administrators to talk to kids when planning foster care programs. When Sheldon toured the Group Home after his presentation, he paused to speak with a young resident. “Call me George,” he said. The boy smiled, shook hands and introduced himself.
Tom Yates, Hephzibah Board President, thanked three board members who are now stepping down from the board, for their many years of service: Leslie Jones, John McIlwain, and Mark Trinka. Yates welcomed two incoming board members: John Ide and David Neubecker. Hephzibah’s Annual Report for fiscal year 2015 now is available by contacting Barb Krause, bkrause@www.hephzibahhome.org.
