ACWA raised the curtain on NSW’s 27th Foster Care Week celebrations in colourful style on Sunday with a massive picnic day held at the Blacktown International Sportspark Athletics Centre.
More than 900 foster carers and children were treated to a vibrant, sunny day jam packed with activities and entertainment. As the heroes of the day, they were looked after by an enthusiastic army of 160 volunteers from the out-of-home care sector, who did all they could – from face painting and traffic control to manning the stalls and cooking up a storm on the barbecue – to ensure a happy occasion for all.
The picnic festivities began with a Welcome to Country by Darug man Chris Tobin, followed by an official opening by Minister for Family and Community Services Pru Goward, who then spent the afternoon chatting to carers and volunteers as she toured the picnic site with FACS Secretary Michael Coutts-Trotter.
In a wonderful show of social responsibility leadership from corporate Australia, a team of volunteers from PwC Australia was also on hand to support the festivities, giving participating staff a critical frontrow seat into the important work of our sector and the huge difference NSW’s foster carers continue to make in the lives of our community’s most vulnerable children.
Events are being held right around NSW throughout Foster Care Week, concluding this Saturday with the Kids in Care Cup Aboriginal Footy Knockout in Wollongong.
Enjoy our photos from the day…
