Title
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign a Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement with ACTION Council for fiscal oversight of the Best Friends Fund.
Report
RECOMMENDATION:
It is recommended that the Board of Supervisors:
a. Approve and authorize the Director of the Department of Social Services to sign a Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement with ACTION Council for fiscal oversight of the Best Friends Fund.
SUMMARY/DISCUSSION:
The Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement with ACTION Council provides fiscal oversight of the Best Friends Fund. For more than two decades, The Best Friends Fund has been utilized as a resource to benefit children and families served by the Family and Children's Services Branch of the Department of Social Services. The Best Friends Fund is a fund comprised of donations intended to benefit children and families served through the child welfare system. These funds enable children to participate and engage in enhancement activities in furtherance of their mental, emotional, and physical wellbeing, as well as assisting at-risk families to meet the most basic needs of their children. Common utilizations of these funds have included: funding children attending summer camps and classes, participating in sports, arts, and music lessons, and participation in celebratory school activities such as school trips, graduation activities, and dances (including Prom and Winter Formals). Utilizations to meet basic needs have included: purchasing of school uniforms for children who have outgrown old uniforms and basic need furniture items for families reunifying (such as beds, bedding, and dressers for children).
Approval of this Fiscal Sponsorship Agreement will enable the County to continue to utilize funds donated to the Fund through ACTION Council to support children's participation in enriching activities, which they may not otherwise have the opportunities to engage in. In addition, it will enable the County to support the timel...
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