Nearly 2,000 children and foster parents in the Midwest and Eastern U.S. will come together for a weekend of learning, networking and fun at KVC Health Systems’ 18th Resource Family Conference (RFC). The gathering takes place March 31-April 1 in three cities – Overland Park, Kansas; Lincoln, Nebraska; and Daniels, West Virginia. The event is a one-of-a-kind training opportunity for kinship, foster and adoptive families who are caring for children who are temporarily in foster care due to abuse, neglect, parental drug use or other family challenges.

These resource families, a term which includes foster and adoptive parents and relatives, will hear from guest speakers, network with other foster parents and learn about topics such as helping youth feel safe and connected, promoting healthy brain development and resilience, and partnering with other members of a child and family’s support team. Children will enjoy fun activities like games, bouncy houses and talent shows.

Watch this video to learn more about the RFC:

In prior years, the keynote speaker’s presentation has been simulcast from the KVC Kansas RFC to the other conference locations in Nebraska, Kentucky and West Virginia. This year, each location will have its own keynote speaker:

• Derek Clark, a renowned motivational speaker who was in foster care and author of the book I will Never Give Up, will speak in Overland Park, Kansas.
• Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, a pediatrician specializing in adolescent medicine at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, and Director of Health Services at Covenant House Pennsylvania, will speak in Lincoln, Nebraska.
• Bob and Beth Hughes Noone, KVC foster parents and past RFC speakers, will speak in Daniels, West Virginia.

While the Resource Family Conference has been exclusive to KVC foster families only, this is the first year that KVC Nebraska has opened up registration to foster families outside of the KVC network across the state of Nebraska.

KVC Kansas will also welcome another well-known individual who spent time in foster care to the conference on Saturday. Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Albert Wilson was in foster care in Florida as a child and credits two incredible foster families for providing the structure and guidance he needed to become successful. Since signing with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2014, Wilson has created a foundation to help kids aging out of foster care. He will meet with children and families attending the RFC and read books to the kids while parents attend training sessions. Learn more about his foster care experience here: Kansas City Chiefs’ Albert Wilson Shares Experience of Growing Up in Foster Care

KVC raises private funds to fully underwrite the hotel, meal and training costs of each conference. Generous companies, foundations and individuals in the community make the RFC possible by sponsoring and attending fundraising events hosted by KVC Health Systems and its subsidiaries throughout the year.

KVC provides foster family care to more than 6,300 children each year in Kansas, Nebraska, Kentucky and West Virginia. The agency also works to prevent foster care whenever possible by keeping families safely together. There is an urgent need for more kinship and foster families to meet the needs of children experiencing abuse, neglect or other family challenges. Learn more about becoming a foster parent.

Learn more about the foster family conference at www.kvc.org/rfc.