For immediate release

Hamilton CAS launches two new online sites --
New Society website provides info in eleven languages

HAMILTON, September 25, 2002

Comprehensive information about foster parenting and child protection services and programs, offered by The Children's Aid Society of Hamilton (CAS), is just a few keystrokes away with the launch of two new websites today.

The unveiling of a new Society website, which features information in eleven languages and a new site dedicated wholly to the Society's Home for Kids foster parent recruitment program, marks another positive step to help meet the ever-changing needs of Hamilton's diverse population, said Dominic Verticchio, executive director of Hamilton CAS.

Information about child protection programs and services appears on the Society's site in the Albanian, Arabic, Cambodian, Chinese, English, Hungarian, Somali, Serbian, Spanish, Urdu and Vietnamese languages. The site also serves as the Society's central online source for news and links to other child welfare agencies, employment opportunities with the CAS, as well as giving opportunities.

The design and development of the Hamilton CAS website is the first of three technology projects, supported by a grant from the Ontario Trillium Foundation. The development of an internal intranet site and database to support the Society's fundraising efforts is also underway.

Funded by a Children's Aid Foundation foster parent recruitment and retention grant, the Homes for Kids website provides visitors with extensive information about fostering, including details about the application process, qualifications of foster parents, community outreach initiatives and testimonials from those already involved in fostering.

"Foster parent recruitment continues to be a high priority for the Society," said Mr. Verticchio. "This initiative was developed to support and enhance our recruitment efforts given the tremendous increase in the number of children being admitted into care."

For more information, visit the sites at www.hamiltoncas.com or www.homesforkids.com.

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For more information, please contact:
Dianne Pearson
Manager of Communications & Development
905-522-1121 ext. 2110