The Licking County Board of Commissioners has voted to accept a grant from the Wendy's Wonderful Kids Program. This decision, made during the board's meeting on August 28, will fund an adoption recruitment position for fiscal year 2026.
According to the commission's meeting agenda, Licking County Job & Family Services, which serves as the county's Children Services Agency, applied for this grant to support adoption and recruitment services. The agency was awarded a grant not exceeding $95,000. This funding aims to assist in providing adoption recruitment and services for abused and neglected children. State budget restrictions have prompted the agency to seek such grant funding proactively.
The Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption funds the Wendy's Wonderful Kids Program. According to the Foundation's website, this program supports hiring adoption professionals dedicated to finding permanent families for children who have been waiting the longest in foster care.
Earlier this year, according to the foundation's website, the Wendy's Wonderful Kids program reported that it had facilitated permanent homes for over 15,000 children and youth in foster care across the United States and Canada since its inception in 2004. Of these, nearly 12,300 children have been helped since the project began scaling up in 2012.
Commissioner Timothy Bubb made the motion to accept the grant during the meeting, which was approved unanimously by those present.
