Local woman awarded for foster care work
Sarah. Heth @hollandsentinel.com, 616-546-4258 @sentinelheth
The world of foster care can be challenging, and it's helpful to have a guide for those who find themselves in it. For the parents whose children have been taken away, for the children in care and for the foster families, it's helpful to have one point of contact — an advocate and translator.
Devon Strong, foster care case manager at Bethany Christian Services in Holland and Spring Lake resident, is one such person. And last month, she was recognized by Michigan Department of Health and Human Services, which chose her to receive the Foster Care Professional Excellence Award, given to one foster care case worker in the state each year.
"I was kind of blown away," Strong said. "I was in quite shock."
The award was announced and given to her at the Child Welfare Conference, hosted in Traverse City.
Strong has been a case work manager at Holland's Bethany office for almost two years, and, according to Tim Nolan, director of the office, and Kari Dvorak, foster care supervisor, she's one of the best.
"She really is a fierce advocate for everyone she works with, and it doesn't really matter their background," Dvorak said. "She cares really deeply for every client she serves, and it's so obvious. It's not just work for her."
"Devon's a rock star," Nolan added. "Her breadth of experience really lends well to the spectrum this particular case had."
The case in question was one mentioned by the several people who nominated Strong to MDHHS for the award. The child, who was assigned to Strong's case load, was a medically fragile child who had recently received an organ transplant and had to be moved to another state. Strong coordinated with medical professionals, the Michigan Children's Institute and others to make the case successful.
"Devon was a strong advocate for not only the child but for his foster family who also made the trip out-of-state to stay months with the youth while he recovered from the organ transplant," MDHHS personnel wrote in an email.
Strong said she enjoys her job and loves the interpersonal aspect of it.
"I love interactions with people. I love seeing success and growth," Strong said. "I love being able to hear where they've come. They often confide in me about a lot of things, so I like building those relationships with people."
Her coworkers appreciate her, Nolan said, because she is always willing to offer advice and help when needed.
"She's always there to encourage her teammates, her colleagues, and really just support them," Nolan said. "She's got more experience in a variety of things. It's not necessarily more caring, but just at another level of development and experience."
Strong, who has worked in child welfare for five years, said it's all part of the job — to bring families together with as little stress as possible.
"I stay in it now because I like to celebrate and see people's growth and success," she said. "… As much as the hard stuff is hard, it's encouraging to fight and advocate for people who don't have a strong voice."
She said the award is one she shares with those in her office.
"The reward is kind of a motivator to set that bar a bit higher for myself," Strong said. "It's also a symbol of all of the teamwork. Without everybody in this office, I would not be able to do the work that I do. Everybody played a role in me getting that award."
And, as May is National Foster Care Month, it's worth remembering the people who keep the system moving, who hold the hands of the people traveling through it. For foster care workers, it's often a job with strange hours, being available when it's convenient for families, not the other way around. The job usually takes more than 40 hours a week. But, said Strong, it's all part of a day's work. And it's worth it.
"The work that I do will always be important," Strong said. "I would never want the community to lose site of that."
She said everyone should consider finding a way to help out.
"The saying is it takes a village, and it truly does," she said. "You don't have to be personally connected right off the bat to help families that are struggling. Educate yourself and come to places where you can get more information."
News Sports Entertainment
Sentinel News on Facebook
Sentinel Sports on Facebook
Holland Sentinel ~ 54 W 8th Street, Holland, MI 49423 ~ Do Not Sell My Personal Information ~ Cookie Policy ~ Do Not Sell My Personal Information ~ Privacy Policy ~ Terms Of Service ~ Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy
Holland Area
Saugatuck Douglas
Holland Sentinel Podcasts
Subscribers now get unlimited access to CheboyganNews.com and SooEveningNews.com at no extra cost!