Johnson C. Smith University hosted its Inaugural Foster Care Conference in conjunction with Mecklenburg County Department of Social Services Division of Youth and Family Services. This year's theme was "Great Expectations."

More than 200 individuals attended. They included nonprofit organizations, community leaders, human service workers, public officials, and foster care initiative ambassadors. Anne Holton, former First Lady of Virginia, delivered the keynote address. Holton also is a former family court judge and founder of the "For Keeps Initiative" - Connecting Older Youth to Families.

 "The purpose of this conference is to bring together and engage community membership to educate, problem solve and forge partnerships to address issues facing children who are aging-out of foster care as it pertains to promoting independence, self-sufficiency and development, said Dr. Ronald L. Carter, Johnson C. Smith University President. "We tagged our Inaugural Conference "Great Expectations" because we certainly have the greatest of expectations that collectively we can and will make a difference in the lives of these youth."

Attendees had networking opportunities as well as the chance to participate in panel discussions which included topics: "Success, Challenges and Support" (youth session) and "Challenges and Solutions." In addition, participants took part in educational workshops covering various topics such as: What can I do as a community member?; Transitioning youth from foster care; Supporting foster youth; Youth engagement; and Bringing the broader community to the table to support foster youth.

This event was supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation. The Annie E. Casey Foundation is a private charitable organization, dedicated to helping build better futures for disadvantaged children in the United States. It was established in 1948 by Jim Casey, one of the founders of UPS, and his siblings, who named the Foundation in honor of their mother.

 For additional information on the JCSU Foster Care Initiative, please contact

Dr. Helen Caldwell, Dean, College of Professional Studies, hcaldwell@jcsu.edu

Dr. Dezette Johnson, Chair, Department of Social Work, dzjohnson@jcsu.edu

Dr. Sonja Harry, Assistant Professor of Sociology, sharry@jcsu.edu.

To view photos from the conference, please click here