WHEREAS, every child in Virginia deserves the opportunity to grow and learn in a supportive, loving, and safe home environment while retaining a sense of family, cultural heritage, and community ties; and

WHEREAS, more than 190,000 children in Virginia reside in a home where a non-parental relative is the head of the household, and more than 62,000 children are being raised by a relative with no parent present; and

WHEREAS, kinship caregiving is utilized in all socioeconomic, educational, ethnic, and racial backgrounds, providing many opportunities as well as unique challenges; and

WHEREAS, nearly 1,000 children are referred to out-of-state placements to receive care or needed services, and kinship families could provide stability and support to prevent institutionalization and displacement; and

WHEREAS, individuals and families caring for a relative’s children make numerous personal and financial sacrifices to support children in need; and

WHEREAS, kinship families have prevented children from entering the foster care system and have allowed children to leave the foster care system and return to their families; and

WHEREAS, Kinship Navigators provide a valuable service to families by helping them navigate the necessary governmental systems; and

WHEREAS, through the partnerships among foster, adoptive, and kinship parents, local Department of Social Services staff, public and private child-serving organizations, and faith communities, efforts are made to ensure that children are safe and their voices are heard as we work for the success of every child; and

WHEREAS, Virginia is committed to working together to celebrate the strengths and address the challenges by supporting kinship families who are raising a relative’s or close family friend’s child on their own or with local Department of Social Services support; and

WHEREAS, the Virginia General Assembly recently and unanimously passed historic legislation (HB39 and SB27) that provides clarity to kinship arrangements, creates more certainty for birth families, and gives much needed support to children in kinship arrangements; and

WHEREAS, my administration has made supporting kinship families a priority both by including first-of-its-kind funding in a Governor’s Introduced Budget and enthusiastically signing the bill with special emphasis on this historic provision for children and families; and

WHEREAS, the Commonwealth is committed to reconnecting and strengthening families; and

WHEREAS, kinship families continue to need services like support groups, resources, trainings on issues important to kinship families, assistance with finding and accessing needed services, and information about permanency options; and

WHEREAS, Kinship Care Awareness Month reflects the core values of family, community, and the welfare of children shared by all citizens of the Commonwealth; and

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Glenn Youngkin, do hereby recognize September 2024, as KINSHIP CARE AWARENESS MONTH in the COMMONWEALTH OF VIRGINIA, and I call this observance to the attention of all our citizens.