Capitol Hill Rotary Club Supports DC Foster Children at 2024 Youth Summit
The Rotary Club of Capitol Hill assisted the Foster and Adoptive Parents Advocacy Center (FAPAC) in Washington, DC with their Second Annual Youth Summit April 6 and 7, 2024. The Youth Summit focuses on young adults in the DC foster care system as they approach aging out of the system. The Rotary Club of Capitol Hill provided volunteers at the summit and connected the organization to another non-profit organization, Operation Hope, to provide financial literacy training for summit attendees. 
FAPAC’s mission is “to improve the quality of life, well-being, and dignity of children in the District of Columbia by strengthening, supporting, and empowering foster, adoptive, and kinship parents to serve as advocates for their children’s needs. You can support FAPAC by attending their Gala Event on Friday, May 10, 2024 (tickets available here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/gala-for-foster-care-black-tie-event-tickets-434851772357) If you are a resident of the District of Columbia, you can also support FAPAC and their mission by advocating with the DC Council to continue funding the Ombudsman for Children (https://ofc.dc.gov/). The Mayor has proposed eliminating funding for the Ombudsman for Children in the 2025 DC budget. (see: https://www.washingtonpost.com/dc-md-va/2024/04/04/dc-budget-bowser-cuts-ombudsperson-children-families-cfsa/).

Rotary Volunteers at the 2024 FAPAC Youth Summit were able to assist with logistics of the Summit and engage with the young attendees. The Rotary Club of Capitol Hill plans to continue supporting FAPAC in the months and years to come as part of the current District Initiatives but also as a way to make a difference in the lives of DC children, especially those that are most vulnerable.

Submitted by Richard Huffine, 2023-2024 Community Service Chair, Rotary Club of Capitol Hill