BUCKHANNON – The National Youth Advocate Program is raising awareness about the need for foster parents, especially for sibling groups.
Tina Hevener, a licensing specialist for the National Youth Advocate Program, attended the May 14 Upshur County Commission meeting as commissioners proclaimed May as Foster Care Awareness Month.
“I’m sure you guys hear all the time about the need for foster parents. Well, there is a need for foster parents,” Hevener said. “My job is licensing families, but we all do recruitment and try to find homes for the children. We always talk about the statistics of how many children are in foster care, and it never ends.”
Hevener said people hear different stories every day about children being removed from a household due to abuse or neglect, and those stories don’t seem to stop.
“I’ve been doing this for over 20 years, and the stories just keep getting worse. Because of that, we need families to care for these children so they can be reunified with their biological parents,” Hevener said. “We go into communities all over West Virginia. We have offices in Martinsburg, Wheeling, Parkersburg and Fairmont, where I’m from.”
She asked the commissioners to let NYAP know when there are events going on in the county so one of their representatives could attend and raise awareness about the need for foster parents.
“We can participate in events, we can go to churches and speak. Sometimes people say I’m in competition with this other foster care agency, but my mindset is: if anyone can find a foster parent, then find a foster parent,” Hevener said. “I don’t think we could ever have enough foster families because there is such a need.”
Hevener said they are trying to find foster parents willing to take in sibling groups.
“You can be a single parent, you can be a same-sex parent. You just have to be able to financially care for the child,” Hevener said. “We do need families that will take sibling groups, as well as older youth, because a lot of times people will say they have a lot of baggage, but they have been traumatized in some fashion.”
She added that children of any age can struggle with trauma-related behaviors.
“You can have a two-year-old who has issues with their behaviors, but we need families for all children, especially the sibling groups. That is a big thing, because imagine having these children and then separating them from one another,” Hevener said. “This is a traumatic time for them, and then being away from their siblings is even more of a trauma.”
PROCLAMATION: Foster Care Awareness Month – May 2026
WHEREAS, children and youth are the most valuable resource of the State of West Virginia, and every child deserves a safe, stable and nurturing home; and
WHEREAS, during Foster Care Awareness Month, we recognize the resilience, strength and potential of children and youth in foster care throughout West Virginia; and
WHEREAS, there are hundreds of children and youth in West Virginia who are in need of safe, loving and supportive foster families; and
WHEREAS, foster parents, kinship caregivers and adoptive families play a vital role in providing stability, hope and healing to children who have experienced trauma, neglect or abuse; and
WHEREAS, the National Youth Advocate Program (NYAP) works diligently across West Virginia to recruit, train and support foster families while providing comprehensive services to children and families in need; and
WHEREAS, NYAP is committed to strengthening families, preserving connections and ensuring that youth have the resources, advocacy and permanency they deserve; and
WHEREAS, community awareness, partnership and engagement are essential to meeting the ongoing need for foster parents and ensuring positive outcomes for children and youth in foster care;
NOW, THEREFORE, We, the Upshur County Commission, of Upshur County, West Virginia, do hereby proclaim May 2026 as Foster Care Awareness Month and encourage all residents to recognize the important role foster parents, kinship caregivers, child welfare professionals and community partners—such as the National Youth Advocate Program—play in improving the lives of children and families across our state.
