For Keeps News & Events
For Keeps Initiative In the News
TV Special (Watch it in two segments below)
The First Lady believes that foster children possess a wealth of experience and ideas on improving the foster care system. Therefore, one of For Keep's goals is to provide opportunities for youth in foster care to inform others about their time in foster care and the value of permanency in their lives.
This commitment led to a thirty-minute special produced in partnership with Richmond's CBS affiliate, WTVR. In it, youth in foster care from across Virginia tell the First Lady about their lives, their goals, and their hopes for permanent family connections.
View the 1st segment View the 2nd segment
Virginia's first lady adopts foster care (Article by Margaret Edds, Virginian-Pilot Columnist, Sunday, January 21, 2007)
'To Be in a Family Who Loves Me' (Article by Chris L. Jenkins, Washington Post Staff Writer, Thursday, January 18, 2007)
Holton reveals foster-care initiative (Article by Pamela Stallsmith, Times-Dispatch Staff Writer, Wednesday, January 17, 2007)
First lady's cause (Article by Mason Adams and Michael Sluss, Roanoke Times, Wednesday, January 17, 2007)
Virginia's First Lady launches new foster care initiative (NBC Channel 12, Tuesday, January 16, 2007, off-site link)
Listening Tour
The First Lady traveled across Virginia during the month of March 2007 conducting the For Keeps Listening Tour. At appearances in Chesterfield, Norfolk, Fairfax, Bristol, and Roanoke County, she heard from over nine hundred foster youth, foster parents, and child welfare professionals from across those regions. Each session provided opportunities for attendees to share ideas and common concerns, and they offered the First Lady and members of the For Keeps Steering Committee critical information about ways to improve outcomes for older youth in foster care.
Read the highlights of the Listening Tour
For Keeps Initiative Launch
First Lady Anne Holton launched her foster care initiative on January 16, 2007 at the Executive Mansion. For Keeps was created to identify and develop ways to find and strengthen permanent families for older children in foster care, or who might be at risk of coming into foster care. For Keeps is founded on the belief that everyone deserves and needs permanent family connections to be successful.
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