Social Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government and Taichung City Family Support Center held a ceremony to certify and recognize outstanding foster homes at Yangming Municipal Building on the morning of November 16. Attending in the event were 122 foster homes with children they are taking care of. Among them, 3 were recognized as senior foster homes for their engagement in the service for 10 years and 5 were awarded as outstanding foster homes for taking care of physically challenged children.

Wang Xiu-yan (王秀燕), Director-general of Social Affairs Bureau, said, “Mayor Hu has been urging people to join the ranks of foster homes in 2013. The call has received a very good response and we have had 20 new partners to join us, a new record high in history. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks to our foster homes for their assuming greater responsibility and giving out more love to accept and take care of those unfortunate children.”

Huang Yi-Long (黃儀隆) and Zhang Xiao-Hui (張小惠)are husband and wife who have been taking care of 12 children of different ages in the past 11 years. They said modestly, “We are engineers building up an exclusive stage for children and then we act as cheerleaders to induce their up most performance on the stage. Our common belief is simple: If there is a poorly behaved child, it is because of lousy caregivers. Yes, we have experienced some hard time and distress but we have also had laughter and touching moments, especially when our children smile and show trust toward us. That is also why we are willing to act as their guardian angels.”

Lin Wen-Tian (林文田) and Zhang Qiao-Tsun-Xian (張巧存賢),husband and wife, who have been offering care to 13 foster children in the past 8 years, said that they cherish very much the meaningful and valuable life experiences in taking care of children in need of attention. “We take it very serious to offer foster care to the children. We want to do everything for them,” added Lin and Zhang.

Taichung City Family Support Center is entrusted by the Social Affairs Bureau of Taichung City Government to arrange foster families and placement services for those children who suffer from major domestic changes and mental and physical mistreatment. It is hoped that those unfortunate children are given a warm and loving "home," so as to heal their physical and mental wounds and have a healthy growth.

"The hand giving out flowers is attached with fragrance. A man of virtue has a peaceful heart and often enjoys life the most." Social Affairs Bureau said, “The foster families are a group of silent guardian angels for kids in need. People should give them more applause. We also hope that more families will join the ranks of foster care to provide love and care to those kids in need.”

Social Affairs Bureau commissions the Taichung Family Support Center and the Children Welfare League to handle foster family operations every year and a briefing and recruitment session is thus held. Those families interested in foster care are welcomed to make registration at the following hotlines: North District Family Support Center: 25232704; South District Family Support Center: 23131234; Children Welfare League: 23780095; Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Prevention Center: 22289111 # 38858. If you have any questions please contact us, and let us become guardian angels for those abused children and juveniles.