PHILADELPHIA, April 18, 2013 — State Sen. Anthony H. Williams will open the highly anticipated Helping Hands Kinship Care Conference at 9 a.m. Saturday, April 20, at West Philadelphia High School.
The free event, co-sponsored by the Philadelphia Kinship Care Committee, Gateway Health Plan, and the Philadelphia School District, will continue until 2 p.m. Sen. Williams will deliver opening remarks and welcome.
There are more than 7 million children living in homes where grandparents or other relatives are the head of the house, according to AARP. In Pennsylvania, more than 81,000 children live in homes where grandparents and other caregivers are responsible for them. In sections of Philadelphia, one-in-five children aged 17 and under are being raised by a grandparent.
The day’s schedule:
9 a.m. — Welcome by Sen. Williams
9:15 a.m. – Panel Discussion (Barbara Grant will moderate. Panelists to include DHS Commissioner Anne Marie Ambrose; Philadelphia Department of Behavioral Health Commissioner Dr. Arthur Evans, Philadelphia Family Court Judge Jonathan Irvine, and Parent Family Resource Centers of the Philadelphia School District Director Crystal Nelson)
10 a.m. — Workshop 1 (Custody and the Law – Attorneys Jennifer Russell and Cateria R. McCabe)
11 a.m. — Workshop 2 (Family Dynamics and Behavioral Health — Andrew DeVos and Robert Ximines Jr.)
12 p.m. — Lunch
12:30 p.m. — Keynote speaker: Nikki Johnson-Huston, Esq.
12:45 p.m. — Wrap-up with Joi Hopkins, AARP on Advocacy
2 p.m. — Close
Media coverage is encouraged.
WHO: State Sen. Anthony H. Williams
WHAT: Helping Hands Kinship Care Conference
WHEN: 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., Saturday, April 20
Sen. Williams to deliver opening remarks at 9 a.m.
WHERE: West Philadelphia High School, 4901 Chestnut St Philadelphia, PA 19139
###