Ribbon-cutting held on Jerusalem Twp. foster family’s home

Published by twalro@presspub... on Sat, 02/15/2020 - 5:17am

By:

Press Staff Writer

It was applause all around at the ribbon-cutting of a 300-square-foot addition to the Jerusalem Township home of Malori and Chad McCloskeys, who are Lucas County Children Services foster parents. The project, a donation-driven, volunteer effort coordinated by Professional Remodelers Organization (PRO) and Habitat for Humanity, will help the McCloskeys foster more children, in particular, sibling groups. (Press photo by Ken Grosjean)

A ribbon-cutting was held Feb. 12 at the Jerusalem Township home of Malori and Chad McCloskey.
        The McCloskeys are a Lucas County Children Services foster family who are committed to keep sibling groups together when the children are in LCCS custody. In November, Professional Remodelers Organization (PRO) and Habitat for Humanity teamed up to install a second story on the McCloskey home. The extra space helps make that happen. The donation-driven, volunteer effort was completed within a three-month window – on time, despite winter weather.
        Contractors and supplies from the Professional Remodelers Organization (PRO) donated their time, labor and building materials for the 300-square-foot addition, which will mean the family has more space to foster more children – in particular, sibling groups.
        Each year, PRO's board of directors designates a President's Project, a community service project. PRO President Scott Hinz, the owner of Total Quality Construction, wanted to help a foster family, so PRO turned to long-time partner, Maumee Valley Habitat for Humanity, to help find            a way to make a difference.
        The two groups, in turn,                reached out to LCCS. They learned the child protective agency, in 2018, saw a 16 percent increase in the number of children who were abused or neglected, compared to the previous year. Largely due to the opioid epidemic, many of those children have come from sibling groups – a big          reason for such a significant jump.
        The McCloskeys have already adopted two children through LCCS, but want to continue opening their home to more foster children to give them a safe and stable living environment.
        “LCCS needs more foster families to meet the growing influx of children who come into our care and custody,” said LCCS Executive Director Robin Reese. “This project provides more living space for siblings at a crucial time to help meet that vital need. Brothers and sisters need to stay together whenever possible, because it gives them a sense of normalcy and support. We thank PRO and Habitat for Humanity for partnering on such a unique project.”