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Feature TYLA Affiliate

Greater Denton County Young Lawyers Association - Kinship Fair
By: Cameron Cox, Attorney, Elsey & Elsey

It was a beautiful Saturday on October 22nd--the perfect sort of day for the annual Kinship Fair. Kinship Fair is an event that is a joint effort of the Greater Denton County Young Lawyers Association, CASA of Denton, and social workers from the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services. The Kinship Program is a program in which children who are taken into protective family are placed with their extended families instead of a foster homes. Often these families do not receive the same support from the State as foster families; and, just as often, these families are not in a position to take on the extra economic burden these children present.

Kinship Fair is a fun, kid-friendly way to provide assistance to families in the Kinship Program. The children receive clothing, coats, toys, and books. Families with young children receive diapers and a diaper kit. In addition, there is a bounce house, food, fire trucks, a motorcycle brigade, horse-drawn carriage rides, balloon animals, and games. Basically, it's a great time for kids, and the parents love having such a fun event to bring their families at no cost. We have received a great deal of positive feedback from participating families this year.

Kinship Fair is the biggest service project of the Denton Young Lawyers by far; and it is paid for by donations in kind from several vendors, funds raised by the annual Kinship Fair Benefit Concert, and funds generously donated by various members of the Denton County Bar. It is our hope to continue this wonderful tradition of community involvement into the foreseeable future.  This is a project that we are very proud of because it is an amazing cause that makes a real, tangible difference in the lives of children and families in Denton County.