Carson City May 12, 2022
What comes this way in May? Discounts for rural Nevada foster parents and kinship caregivers, courtesy of Nevada businesses and the Division of Child and Family Services (DCFS). The Division oversees child welfare in Nevada’s 15 rural counties: Carson City, Churchill, Douglas, Elko, Esmeralda, Eureka, Humboldt, Lander, Lincoln, Lyon, Mineral, Nye, Pershing, Storey, and White Pine.
Governor Steve Sisolak proclaimed the month of May as Foster Care Month in Nevada highlighting how all Nevadans can play a role in supporting healthy outcomes for our children and families through advocacy, engagement, and answering the call to foster.
DCFS sent discount-bearing cards to rural Nevada foster families and kinship caregivers. Foster parents and caregivers can present the cards to access their discounts, which vary in value by merchant but start at 10%. The Division would like to thank the participating businesses for their generosity.
Participating businesses include:
— Tumbleweeds Gymnastics, Minden, and Carson City
— The Nevada Children’s Museum, Carson City
— Organize to Life Home Organizing, a home organizing service in Carson City
— WildWestPestManagment.net, a pest control company, Gardnerville
— DooDooDisappear.com, a Northern Nevada dog waste remover
— Mattia Raffelson, Realtor with Fathom Realty, Reno
— Bella Lux Mobile Tanning, Fernley
— Pizza Barn, Elko
— White Pine Aquatic Center, Ely
— Cheeky Doodles Face Painting, Spring Creek
— Pizza Barn, Fallon
— Nature Health Farms Petting Zoo, Pahrump
“DCFS is delighted to work with our supporting partners for Foster Care Month,” said Shelby Riley LSW, a foster home recruiter for Nevada’s rural region. “This May, rural Nevada foster parents, and kinship caregivers are reminded how appreciated they are in their community through discounts offered at various businesses statewide.”
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports there are more than 407,000 children and youth in foster care and 34% were placed with relatives or kin. Staying with relatives and kin, the Department said on its website, can increase children’s stability, reduce trauma, and help children maintain a sense of family, identity, and belonging.
About 400 rural Nevada children are in foster care. Without caring homes in rural communities, children needing foster care would be placed in outlying communities, sometimes far from emotional support and stability. Visit www.RuralNVFosterCare.com or call 888-423-2659 to learn more about how to become a foster parent with the Nevada Division of Child and Family Services.