Local business ROK Enterprises, Inc. recently presented Walden Family Services with a check for $1,000 to help pay for the non-profit’s essential services.

The money was raised at a holiday fund-raiser by ROK, which sells promotional products such as pens, mugs, notepads and coffee mugs to locals businesses.

Walden Family Services is a non-profit organization that has been providing therapeutic foster care services for 30 years.

“Most of the kids [Walden Family Services] works with have nothing. Most of these kids are taken away from their parents because their parents are in jail, have a drug problem or have other problems,” said ROK sales representative Wade Powers. “A lot of these kids show up at a foster parent’s door with all of their belongings in a plastic garbage bag. One of the many things [Walden] tries to do for the kids is give them a duffle bag or backpack to help them feel more like a person.”

Erin Naus, Walden’s district and clinical director, said the children in Walden’s care have severe emotional and behavioral challenges as a result of past abuse/neglect and are in need of intensive services to help them heal and remain in a family environment.

“Many of the children that we serve have been in 10 or more foster families or group-home placements before coming to Walden. With Walden’s specially trained foster families and support services, children that otherwise would be in a group home are able to live in a foster family,” Naus said.

Powers explained why ROK became involved with Walden. “When I was with my ex-partner, we went through their training program to become foster parents,” Powers said. “I personally think that the programs they offer are just amazing. They really go after gay and lesbian couples and singles because they feel that we deserve just as much of a chance to become a parent as anyone else does.

“As a gay-owned-and-operated company, I felt that it was a good idea to team up with them because I know that they are constantly in need of the money,” Powers added.

“We will be using the generous support from ROK Enterprises to support our foster family appreciation events,” said Walden’s district and clinical director Erin Naus. “We have three or more events each year to gather families and children for games, food, fun and prizes. The families and children get to know one another and establish support networks. We love to show our foster families how appreciative we are of their service and also show the children how special they are to us.”

Although the event was a success, Powers was hoping to do better. He wants to host another fund-raiser again this year, and he hopes to make it an even bigger and more successful event.

“I’m one of those people with big aspirations,” he said. “I would have rather been able to raise $10,000, but that’s why we’re going to begin planning this year’s event much earlier.”

Naus couldn’t emphasize enough how delighted the organization was to receive the funds raised by ROK, but also stressed that their biggest need was for people willing to be foster parents.

“We need loving foster parents,” Naus said. “Unfortunately, there are always more children awaiting placement than we have qualified foster homes. You can be single or partnered and do not have to own a home.”

For more information about becoming a foster parent, contact foster family recruiter, Eddie Tapia, at 619-584-5777, ext. 231, or e-mail etapia@waldenfamily.org.