ATLANTA, GA – The Georgia Division of Family and Children Services (DFCS) will host an awards luncheon for foster caregivers on Monday, May 23, as part of its National Foster Care Month celebration and its continuing effort to support and retain foster parents throughout the state.

The event will take place from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Georgia Tech Hotel and Conference Center. DFCS will recognize the 2016 Foster Caregivers of the Year from each of the division’s 14 regions. The Foster Caregivers of the Year are listed as follows:

  • Region 1 - Will and Penny DePuy, Cherokee County
  • Region 2 - Lee and Wendy Boswell, Hall County
  • Region 3 - Michael and Sherry Bowser, Bartow County
  • Region 4 - Terry and Tiffany Posey, Troup County
  • Region 5 - David and Donna Maughon, Walton County
  • Region 6 - Anthony and Selena Whitley, Houston County
  • Region 7 - Paul and Willie Mae Pugh, Richmond County
  • Region 8 - Logan and Mary Smith, Muscogee County
  • Region 9 - Michael and Kristina Hurlburt, Pulaski County
  • Region 10 - Scott and Lisa Bryant, Lee County
  • Region 11 - Jeffery and Anna Dorman, Tift County
  • Region 12 - Charles and Mary V. Saunders, Bryan County
  • Region 13 - Roger and Pam Ritchie, Cobb County
  • Region 14 - Amy and Leah Lindsey, DeKalb County

Speakers at the luncheon will include: Robyn Crittenden, Commissioner of the Georgia Department of Human Services (DHS); Bobby Cagle, DFCS Director; Virginia Pryor, DFCS Deputy Director for Child Welfare; and Verdell Daniels, President of the Adoptive and Foster Parent Association of Georgia (AFPAG). Members of the Child Welfare Reform Council have been invited to attend. Additionally, Governor Nathan Deal and First Lady Sandra Deal will present commendation awards to the foster caregivers for their service and dedication.

Gov. Deal appointed Cagle as DFCS Director in June 2014. Since that time, Cagle has been working to implement significant child welfare reform through his Blueprint for Change plan, which incorporates recommendations of the governor’s Child Welfare Reform Council. The Blueprint for Change includes a substantial investment in social workers who work to prevent child abuse and neglect. These social workers also provide support to foster parents who provide temporary homes to children while the Division works with their families to eliminate the safety issues that caused the agency’s involvement. The plan also aims to improve communication with the public and key stakeholders, such as foster caregivers, through a series of roadshows to engage them in efforts to strengthen Georgia’s child welfare and economic assistance programs. For more information on the Blueprint for Change roadshow tour, please visit the Division’s website www.dfcs.dhs.ga.gov.