Marsh sets Adoption Center open house

VW independent/submitted information

The Marsh Foundation will hold a ribboncutting and grand opening ceremony for the new Foster Care and Adoption Center at 11 a.m. Thursday, April 26. An open house will follow until 1 p.m. that day.

The building, located at 102 W. Main St. in Van Wert, has been renovated and updated in order to house the new downtown facility. Everyone is welcome to attend the ceremony and tour the center.

The main level is now equipped to hold office and training space for The Marsh’s growing foster care and adoption division.

“As our agency continues to grow and serve more children, it became apparent that we needed additional space that was more accessible to the community,” said Kim Mullins, executive director of Child and Family Services at The Marsh. 

In recent months, The Marsh has been focused on recruiting more foster and adoptive families. The increase in efforts has brought several new families onboard. As a result, more training events are taking place, more treatment meetings are being held and more children are being placed in homes.

“It is a great feeling to see our number of dedicated foster and adoptive families growing,” said Melissa Snyder, foster care and adoption supervisor. “We are excited to move into this new office space. It will allow us to continue to grow and give us a convenient, accessible location to meet with prospective and current parents.”

Formerly Next, the building received a facelift from Alexander & Bebout over the past several weeks. In addition, The Marsh maintenance crews did a great deal of work painting and moving furniture. The new sign, made by Wilkinson Printing in Van Wert, was recently installed. 

In the past year, The Marsh Foster Care Division has grown and added three new full-time positions in the Van Wert community. Currently, the department is seeking a licensed social worker.

The Marsh Foundation is a not-for-profit children’s services agency that provides services in a variety of settings. Services include group homes, family foster care (ages birth-17), an intensive treatment program, adoption and independent living. Located in Van Wert, the organization’s group homes are licensed for up to 36 children ages 7-17, offers an on-campus school for grades 2-12 and provides a variety of clinical services to group home residents, foster care children and community members.