More than 250 bicyclists helped raise almost $150,000 in the 13th annual KID Inlet Challenge to benefit Kids In Distress.
The annual ride that recently took cyclists from Fort Lauderdale beach to Palm Beach County has raised about $1 million for programs that benefit families and children in need.
KID works to prevent child abuse, strengthen families in crisis, and help children who have been abandoned, abused and neglected. The organization is the largest provider of foster homes in Broward and Palm Beach counties and helps find temporary foster families when children are removed from their parents’ homes.
“One of the most important aspects of this fun event is spreading awareness of the need for foster parents,” said Mark Dhooge, president and CEO. “We would like to increase the number of affiliated foster homes to 300 this year.”
Kids In Distress works with more than 11,000 children a year and oversees, licenses and supports 250 foster homes in its service area, Dhooge said.
Emily Davis, KID’s foster care supervisor for Palm Beach County, recently became a foster parent to two young brothers. She said the need is great as the number of children removed from homes increased more than 27 percent in Palm Beach County and 23 percent in Broward over the past three years.
“We have a huge need to get people to become foster parents,” she said.
Jason Zembach, who fielded a team of cyclists for the second straight year and raised $1,500, serves as a foster parent to six children younger than 5.
KID is “a voice for children who don’t have a voice, and everything we can do to raise awareness of the work they do is super critical,” he said. “These children have been ripped away from everything familiar and normal to them, and the greatest thing about being a foster parent is to help mend a broken family.”
Davis said it’s difficult for some to consider a short-term parenting arrangement.
“People ask, ‘How are you able to let the kids go?’ My response is that we are adults, and we have to be willing to allow our hearts to hurt to allow the children’s hearts to heal,” she said. “I know I’m helping them; they need a place to stay now and someone to love them.”
For more information, call 954-390-7654 or 561-272-9619 or visit Kidinc.org.
