Josh Kolkana is a walking advertisement for his work. As the director of the new Homes of Hope program, which is creating a support system for foster and adoptive parents, Kolkana is the recent adoptive parent to a 3-year-old girl, Nika.

He and his wife, Kami, care for a little boy, Michael Smith, who they are willing to adopt. Plus, they have a biological infant son, Jude. They make it work in a home filled with different cultural and racial backgrounds because they have help and encouragement from their families and Kolkana's workplace, Place of Hope.

Located in Palm Beach Gardens, Place of Hope is one of the largest family-style child welfare organizations in Florida, providing emergency and long-term family-style foster care, family outreach and intervention, transitional housing and support services. Homes of Hope represents its reach into adoption and foster care recruitment and support for children who have been traumatized by abuse and neglect throughout South Florida. Place of Hope secured the necessary licensing and contract to become a child-placing agency in 2007.

Kolkana has been making presentations to explain to residents how they can get involved. At his first orientation at Christ Fellowship in Palm Beach Gardens in mid-March, more than 250 people learned more about being guardians ad litem, mentors, tutors, clerical volunteers and qualified childcare providers. Another program was held at First Baptist in Royal Palm Beach. Orientations are held at Place of Hope's campus the last Thursday of each month at 6:30 p.m.

"In Palm Beach County, to my knowledge, we are the only supportive system available for foster and adoptive parents other than the program at Spanish River Church in Boca Raton (with its Foster Care Outreach Ministry)," Kolkana said. "We are one of many support agencies, but there are no other 'Foster and Adoptive Parent Support Groups' - which we hope to start this summer at Christ Fellowship."

Judith Warren, new head of Child and Family Connections, an agency that partners with other organizations in placing foster and adoptive children, said Place of Hope has been critical to the success of Palm Beach County's abused children, by providing a safe home until their parents can care for them or an adoptive family can be found.

"Child and Family Connections is excited to now begin working with Homes of Hope that will provide much needed support to those families who selflessly give to those children without a home," Warren said. "Place of Hope staff has great vision in its foresight for the need for additional support for foster and adoptive families, as the trauma to the children who have been removed becomes greater."

Child and Family Connections (CFC) is a non-profit organization that manages community-based child protective services, such as foster care and adoptions for abused and neglected children living in Palm Beach County. Presently, there are nearly 1,700 children who have been removed from their homes due to abuse and/or neglect. CFC's mission is to promote a safe living environment, permanency, and a strong sense of stability for the displaced children.

For those who are interested in becoming foster and/or adoptive parents, Homes of Hope offers the MAPP (Model Approach to Partnerships in Parenting) classes, required of all foster/adoptive families in the state of Florida. Homes of Hope sees all types of potential parents curious about the process - from "empty nesters" to young couples with and without their own children. Single parents are also considered, although Homes of Hope's best candidates are those with the most stability and support.

"A child who has been removed from his or her home has experienced a trauma that a biological or traditionally adopted child will never experience," Kolkana said. "With each child, there is a different level of trauma that parents must be prepared and trained to deal with."

In June, once the current orientation programs are finished, the support program will kick into full gear, and Homes of Hope plans to be able to offer a five-person team to new parents - a guardian ad litem, mentor, tutor and two babysitters.

"The state is looking more toward faith-based organizations and churches to help alleviate the need for qualified, safe adoptive homes," said Place of Hope Executive Director Charles Bender. "We're hoping more local families see themselves in this role and with this support know they can be successful in raising a child who needs them."

For more information, call Place of Hope at 561-775-7195 or visit www.placeofhope.com.