SEATTLE – Casey Family Programs announced today that it has agreed to be the title sponsor of Seeds of Compassion, featuring His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Seeds of Compassion is a five-day gathering to create compassion in the world, starting with children.

“Every day 513,000 children are in foster care in America,” said William C. Bell, president and CEO of Casey Family Programs. “Often, many members of the community are unaware of how they can help improve the quality of life for our most vulnerable children. Seeds of Compassion will help us lift the needs of all foster children up before the world and build compassion for those who have gone unnoticed far too long.”

As title sponsor, Casey Family Programs will be highlighting the needs of children in foster care and vulnerable families. The five-day event begins April 10, 2008.

Special highlights are planned:

• Saturday, April 12 at Qwest Field
  • President and CEO William C. Bell will highlight Casey Family Programs’ 2020 Strategy for foster children as a guest speaker prior to His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s presentation.
  • A Casey-sponsored group of children and families will be highlighted in the procession during the opening ceremonies.

• Sunday and Monday, April 13-14 at Seattle Center
  • A panel of experts from Casey Family Programs will lead two learning workshops focusing on kinship care and justice and equity for children of color:
  • On Sunday: “Kindred Spirits…Families Caring for Family”
  • On Monday: “Justice and Equity for the Children…Including Children of Color”
  • (Please see below for information on the moderators and panelists)

• Tuesday, April 15 at Seattle Center
  • Members of Casey Family Programs’ executive leadership team and Board of Trustees will participate in various forums and discussions about compassion including the Spirituality Panel discussion with His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu.

• Daily at various venues
  • A video presentation of Casey Family Programs’ 2020 Strategy for children will be aired.

• April 12-14 at Qwest Field and Seattle Center
  • A Casey Family Programs resource booth will be open to the public with resource information on foster care and giveaways for children. 

Casey Family Programs’ support for Seeds of Compassion will help advance Casey’s goal of safely reducing the number of children in foster care by 50 percent by the year 2020. The 2020 Strategy also aims to:

• Reinvest savings to strengthen families and improve the child welfare system
• Improve the path to self-sufficiency for youth in foster care through a focus on education, employment, and mental health.

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Casey Family Programs
Seeds of Compassion Workshops

Sunday, April 13, 2008

2-3:30 p.m. –  Fidalgo Room, Seattle Center

“Kindred Spirits…Families Caring for Family” 

Moderator: Lynn Biggs, Casey Family Programs, Senior Director, Yakima Field Office

Panelists: Grace Smith, Casey Family Programs, Yakima Field Office; Kristie Lund, Casey Family Programs, Seattle Field Office; Kinship Caregivers from Yakima and Seattle (TBA)

Families have been caring for relative’s children for generations when the children cannot live with their birth parents for one reason or another. They do not do so out of necessity or obligation but out of love and compassion for the children. Each child who is raised in a kinship family is truly a “seed of compassion.” In Washington and around the country, there is strong support for elevating kinship care as a preferred option to formal foster care. Coalitions and community collaborations have formed to add support and access to resources for Kinship Families.

In this workshop you will hear from child welfare professionals and relative caregivers as they share progress in this movement, and their personal experiences in raising children of their relatives. In addition to the sharing, panelists will describe collaborations from both eastern and western Washington.

Monday, April 14, 2008

12-1:30 p.m. –  Fidalgo Room, Seattle Center

“Justice and Equity for the Children…Including Children of Color”

Moderator: Ron Murphy, Casey Family Programs, Senior Director, Washington State Strategy

Panelists: Judge Patricia Clark, King County Superior Court (invited); Malcolm Hightower, Casey Family Programs, Systems Improvement Analyst; Dr. Donald Felder, Casey Family Programs, Education Liaison

Children of color are overrepresented and underserved in child welfare, juvenile justice, education, and other child- and family-serving systems. In this workshop participants will gain an understanding of the impact of institutional racism on vulnerable children. Panelists will use data to demonstrate that children of color, particularly African-American and American Indian children, achieve significantly poorer outcomes than do white children in virtually every system. The workshop also highlights local and regional initiatives that have made significant strides in reducing the disproportionate impact of institutional racism on our children.

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About Seeds of Compassion

Seeds of Compassion is an initiative of the Kirlin Charitable Foundation. Its purpose is to nurture kindness and compassion in the world, starting with children and all those who touch their lives. Seeds of Compassion is partnering with early-childhood-development advocates and organizations, foundations, educators, scientists, and business leaders, to generate and promote tools and strategies that help children develop as happy, compassionate members of society. For more information, visit www.seedsofcompassion.org.