Cub Scout Toy Drive Supports Child Welfare Org

We learned a great deal about this organization’s fine work during a presentation September 11 by Rosella Yousef and her co-worker Marianne Yamato. In addition to the traditional child protective services we are familiar with, the Kinship Support Division, where Rosella and Marianne devote their time, plays a vital role in the judicial and plan-ning process.

"Imagine you’re the grandmother of a 2-month-old infant and you suddenly get a knock on the door from a DCFS official," noted Rosella. "You find yourself responsible but have no formula, no crib, nothing that is required to take in a child."

Of particular importance during the "heart-wrenching" child removal and placement process are things for the children to play with. "That why the Cub Scouts are holding this drive with the help of Rotary," Rosella explained. "It’s a community service project they can understand and feel good about."

As we saluted firefighters and the police force during our 9/11 tribute that day, Marianne, who only recently moved into an administrative role at DCFS, reminded us that there are other unsung heroes in this nation, in particular, the brave people who often have to enter households with violent adults to remove a child to safety. "These people do battle every day to keep children safe."