On more than one occasion, I have taken pen to paper to offer my criticism of your newspaper. It is expected that we subscribers will do that. When a newspaper does something that I feel is commendable, I will also offer my praise as well as extending my subscription another quarter.

Such is the case with your excellent series on the foster care crisis in Hall County. My wife has been a long time CASA volunteer in Atlanta, and when we recently moved to Gainesville she became active in the Hall-Dawson County chapter of CASA. I decided to also join.

Your front page coverage of the problems facing the children and families who enter the DFCS system has been exceptional. The pieces have been insightful and yet sympathetic to the children who wind up in the “system.”

The articles have also pointed out the challenges faced by the DFCS employees as well as the many volunteers who bring families back together, or if that is impossible, find alternatives. The shortage of good foster homes in Hall and Dawson counties means that often these children are placed in foster care homes a great distance from their siblings or their relatives. Reuniting them becomes a more difficult task for the DFCS staff and the CASA volunteers.

I hope that your series will prompt more loving families in Hall and nearby counties to open their homes to the children who need a safe place to grow, to learn and to experience kindness. Thanks for the excellent work.

Howard A. Stacy
Gainesville