UP Kids: Caring for Children & Building Brighter Futures
UP Kids is a local organization serving children and families across the UP. Find out about the wide array of programs and services available, including foster care and adoption placement services, Big Brothers Big Sisters mentoring programs, Families Together Building Solutions, Families UPward, and other supportive visitation and in-home assistance for families and youth.
Dolores Kilpela, Placement Services Supervisor for UP Kids, will discuss UP Kids programs, and most specifically, Foster Care. Why is it needed? Who are the children needing foster care? What is the process for becoming a foster parent? What type of support and resources are available to foster families. She will discuss the need for Foster Care families in the UP when children must be removed from their home and placed in a temporary, safe, and loving environment. Additionally, Dolores will share some of the ways in which community members can support UP Kids and their mission, beyond fostering.
Dolores Kilpela earned her BS in Criminal Justice from NMU and a MA in Interdisciplinary Studies from Marylhurst University in Oregon. Previously, Dolores served as a police officer for many years, followed by years of teaching, as an assistant professor of criminal justice at Finlandia. She has been with UP Kids for nearly seven years and oversees Foster Care and Adoption Placement Services for the agency.