Senators Emmons, Booher, Schmidt, Hansen and Marleau offered the following resolution:

            Senate Resolution No. 90.

A resolution to commemorate September 2015 as Kinship Care Month.

Whereas, Nationally, 2.7 million children are living with grandparents and other relatives in kinship care, of which over 183,000 of these young people reside in Michigan; and

Whereas, Michiganders join to honor famous kinship caregivers, such as President George Washington, and grandparents and relatives residing in urban, rural, and suburban households in every county of Michigan who step forward out of love and loyalty to care for relatives when a child’s biological parents are no longer able to do so; and

Whereas, Michiganders join to honor famous youth who were raised in kinship care, such as Maya Angelou and Sandra Day O’Connor, as well as those children residing in urban, rural, and suburban households in every county of Michigan who, through the unconditional support of grandparents and other relatives, have successfully addressed the emotional trauma of losing their parents; and

Whereas, The public becomes increasingly aware of the challenges faced by children, grandparents, and other relatives in kinship care to work in partnership with the education, legal, social services, mental health, justice, and other systems to access services that can enable kinship youth to flourish in all facets of their lives; and

Whereas, One in eleven of all children will live within a kinship family sometime during their childhood. Kinship care provides the best opportunity to retain the child’s cultural heritage and community ties; now, therefore, be it

Resolved by the Senate, That the members of this legislative body hereby commemorate September 2015 as Kinship Care Month in the state of Michigan.