What's on your Christmas wish list this year? For hundreds of children across Arkansas the answer is simple. They want a good home. Local philanthropist Gene Cauley hosted his annual Christmas Wishes party for Arkansas foster children Sunday afternoon. He wanted to raise awareness about the need for adoptive and foster families and to spread a little holiday cheer to local kids.
Patricia Rollins made her adoptive daughter Myisha part of the family when she was just one month old. But there were always questions around the holidays. "There's part of me that wants to know if I was with my birth parents if it would be different," says Myisha.
But there's no questioning the bond she and her mother share. The Rollins family and many other foster and adoptive families filled the Metroplex Events Center Monday for the Gene Cauley Foundation's Christmas Wishes party, to thank the families for opening their hearts to children in need of homes.
"These families need to be honored and they need to be recognized and people need to say thank you and we appreciate what you're doing," Cauley told us.
Those with the Gene Cauley Foundation say this is a way to thank foster and adoptive parents for their service, but also to encourage others to do it too. Those with the Arkansas Department of Human Services say at any given time there are about 1,000 kids awaiting adoption in Arkansas and about 300 of those are in Pulaski County.
"All these kids here are wonderful and sweet and fun. They're just normal children and they need your help," Cauley said.
Cauley started hosting this event last year to bring attention to the needs of children in Arkansas. He contacted folks at DHS who invited about 200 kids to come play, eat, and get some fantastic gifts. It's something that's especially vital in the middle of a recession.
"The economy's tough and nobody's immune including me or our foundation, but every year we can do this we're going to try," Cauley said.
But children like Myisha say the best gift of all is providing a child with a stable home. "Every child needs love. So if you adopt a child just know that you're giving a child love," says Myisha.
This party is just one thing the Gene Cauley Foundation is involved with. The foundation is also giving away laptops to 50 deserving students this year and its donating emergency room equipment to the Pulaski County Humane Society.
