LANSING, Mich. — Thousands of refugees settle in Michigan every year, and a good portion of those newcomers are children. A Lansing nonprofit is holding an event to highlight the need for foster parents and mentors for those kids.
Laura Boonstra has been fostering refugee children for almost 8 years. So far, she has cared for 11 children in need.
"We were caring for kids directly from the southern U.S. border and those kids would only stay for weeks to months. They really just needed care until they could be reunited with their families. We've also cared for kids in longtern refugee foster care or in independant living," Boonstra said.
Boonstra has written a new book about her foster parent experience in the hopes that people will see beyond the headlines and the political rhetoric surrounding immigration — and see the actual faces of kids who just need to be loved.
"When you tell things in story and you put a name and a face to some of those numbers it just hits people in a different way and people can really see the peopel behind the numbers," Boonstra said.
Boonstra is teaming up with Samaritas to hold the event, which primarily aims to recruit and educate the public on the need for foster parents.
Daniel Soza helps coordinate the refugee foster care program with Samaritas. He says most people don't realize they'd be a good fit for the program.
"You don't need to be married and there's no minimum income requirement but we do ask you about income on the application but its a process that takes about 4-6 months," Soza said.
More information about the recruitment event and the refugee foster care program is available on FOX47News.com.
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