As the NFPA prepares to enter 2018 I want to thank each of you for reminding us daily of our purpose, to advocate for parents; foster parents, kinship parents, adoptive parents, the children in their care and former foster youth make up the core of what the NFPA begins every day focused on.

To that end, we have brought on several new board members with skills, experiences, and expertise to broaden our outreach and assure that we have the best people working to provide the most successful outcomes for those we represent.  The most visible addition to this group is that of Shawn Johnson who has upgraded and expanded our social media and brought us so many new friends and families with whom we can share our journeys.

The NFPA Board of Directors is entering 2018 with the intent to do everything in our power to accomplish our Mission and the goals we will set forth in our Strategic Plan, dedication from the finest for the finest. These Directors exemplify the kind of personal and professional commitment that often leaves me in awe of the amazing things some of our Directors have accomplished. I have been surrounded daily by the kind of commitment that one decides upon and backs up with their word, the professional attitude they have towards their position, sharing their points of view and actively participating in moving the organization forward every day.

The NFPA is fortunate to have a staff that works diligently at the tasks that allow the board to do their part with ease. Our Executive Director, Irene Clements, has expanded our partnerships and sponsors and an overall interest in who we serve and what we do. Irene has a longtime commitment to the NFPA and is an earnest advocate of foster care.

Our volunteers, from our IT person to our Council of State Affiliates, who serve as Advisors to the Board of Directors, some who serve as board subcommittee chairs or as committee members, are valuable assets. They are the eyes and ears of the NFPA as they represent the individual state organizations.

This year our conference will be in Orlando, next year in Anaheim, and as we have an amazing conference chair and committee I guarantee you training and networking that will fit and fill all of your needs. If you attend our conference, please take the time to say hello to our board members. We look forward to the interaction with those who understand this journey as only those of us that live it do, you are the ones that inspire our commitment and dedication and hold us accountable to the vulnerable population that we feel called to serve.

So, to all of you, I challenge you to learn more about us, how you can support the NFPA and of course, welcome your continued interest in our social media outreach as well as the work we do. If you would like to be more involved with the NFPA please consider becoming a member and maybe even joining a committee.

Most of all I thank you for being who you are and knowing who I am, who the NFPA Board of Directors are, we are all of a unique group of people, one that we learn early on few others understand. I am so proud to be in your numbers and eternally grateful to those who have held me up over the years.  Let’s make 2018 the year that our numbers grow too large to be ignored.

Sincerely,

Pat Llewellyn, President of the National Foster Parent Association