You may know of Kim Berk, of radio show Mornings with Kim and Dave on WLS-FM 94.7. However, you may not know of her deep involvement with Children’s Home & Aid and her passion for fostering youth in need.
This week, the Mornings with Kim & Dave show will feature Children’s Home & Aid and highlight key voices from the services that we provide. Kim Berk is an active supporter of Children’s Home & Aid. The agency’s mission of partnering with children, youth and families whose potential is at risk to create hope, opportunity and bright futures is a cause near and dear to her heart.
Kim is currently in the process of becoming a foster parent through Children’s Home & Aid. She tells us she could not be more excited, “I’ve wanted to do this for a very long time. I’ve been so incredibly blessed, I would love to share those blessings with these children. It can change the trajectory of their lives.”
Although Kim plans to eventually adopt a child, she first wants to help children most in need wherever necessary, whether that be long-term or short-term. Her commitment to fostering a child exposed to abuse or neglect reflects our mission to restore their hope, health and faith in people around them.
“You realize how many children in Chicago need a home for a variety of time periods. It will be difficult to have them in your life then watch them leave, but they are taking part of you with them and you will always have a lasting impact on their life,” Kim tells us.
Kim understands how essential it is for children in foster care to feel they’re worthy and loved in order to move forward with their lives. “The most important thing is being on the child’s team. It’s about focusing on getting them back home and keeping their parents part of their life,” Kim says. This team building is a key approach at Children’s Home & Aid: finding suitable homes for children with foster parents who can provide the appropriate care based on the children’s individual needs.
Kim is in the final stages of meeting with a social worker and is elated to have just finished decorating the children’s bedroom. She says she is grateful for the training from Children’s Home & Aid, “I feel I’ve learned what this entire process is like from a child’s point of view and that will help me through my own journey as their foster parent.”
When asked if she has any advice for those who may consider becoming a foster parent, Kim kept it simple and said, “Don’t be scared. You have so much to offer. It’s not about material things, it’s about what’s in your heart.”
In addition to soon becoming a foster parent, Kim says the Children’s Home & Aid events she often attends are even more special to her because of the services it funds and the families it helps. “These children have been through so much, they are survivors. The centers and services show them a place of acceptance,” Kim says.
To support the WLS Give-a-thon benefiting Children’s Home & Aid, please visit support.childrenshomeandaid.org/wls