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New Executive Director, Stefany Lang, has been chosen to lead the Maryland Resource Parents Association.
Stefany Lang has been selected as the new executive director of the Maryland Resource Parents Association (MRPA), which represents foster and kinship parents throughout the state.
Lang and her husband, Chris, are active foster parents in Calvert County, where they have fostered 11 children since they became foster parents in 2013. Lang is also president of the Calvert County Foster Parent Association and a co-facilitator of the county’s training for new foster parents (called PRIDE). There, she has instituted monthly support group meetings and foster family events, as well as serving as a resource for the questions and concerns for local foster parents.
As MRPA executive director, Lang hopes to bring that same support to foster and kinship parents statewide. “I have a true passion for being a foster parent,” says Lang, whose family consists of three biological children, two adopted children, and two children who are part of their family through guardianship, ranging in age from 7 to 31. “I want to try and make the foster care experience as smooth and painless as possible for the families and the children in Maryland.”
Lang and her husband became foster parents when the youngest of her biological daughters was a junior in high school. While they originally thought they would foster infants or toddlers, their first placement was a sibling set of three, ages 8, 9, and 12, one of whom they later adopted.
One of Lang’s favorite quotes is “It takes a village to raise a child.” “I believe we, as foster parents, are that village,” she says. “Being there for the children and their families is what makes foster parenting so fulfilling.”
Before becoming a foster parent, Lang was social media manager for the company Recorded Books. She also works as an adoptive parent mentor and runs a support group for Adoptions Together, a local adoption organization. In addition, Lang and her husband are active volunteers for the Special Olympics of Calvert County, where they have coached 5 sports and raised over $40,000.
Lang will be only the second executive director at MRPA, taking over the role from Arnie Eby, who turned what had been a volunteer role into a paid position in 2019 to reflect the larger role MRPA has played. Eby is now executive director of the National Foster Parent Association.
MPRA represents public foster and kinship parents throughout Maryland. Its executive director and board members work with the state government and other groups to represent the views of foster and kinship parents. The organization supports county-based foster parent groups, as well as individual foster parents through support and training.
What is the MRPA?
Enjoy this replay of our April, 2024 session outlining the mission and purpose of the Maryland Resource Parent Association.
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The MRPA does not have formal membership.
There are no fees of any kind to enjoy our resources. They are freely available to all Resource Parents! You are welcome to attend our Zoom sessions and to utilize anything you find on our website. We’re glad you found us and look forward to assisting in your journey as a Resource Parent.
So…. how do you get involved? There are many options!
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Keeping Resource Parents In the Know
MRPA Community News
PTA Our Children.org Article – The Invisible Population: Supporting Foster Families
by Sam Macer for PTA Our Children.org Foster families are an “invisible population.” If one hundred children were on a school playground, you couldn’t - or shouldn’t - be able to tell which ones were foster youth. If you were at a mall, you couldn’t pick out the...
Updated Ombusdman Flyer
We have an updated Ombudsman flyer for MRPA parents!
Blaque Diamond Enterprise
By Sam Macer I want to thank the Blaque Diamond Enterprise for inviting me to represent the Maryland Resource Parent Association at the 2nd annual “It’s a Family Affair” event. The community engagement event provided an opportunity to learn about the need for loving,...
Time.com Article: Why Teenage Brains Are So Hard to Understand
By Alexandra Sifferlin September 8, 2017 TIME Health For more, visit TIME Health. The following story is excerpted from TIME’s special edition, The Science of Childhood, which is available in stores, at the TIME Shop and at Amazon. EXCERPT: When Frances Jensen’s...
Chronicle Report: At Least 25 States Have Lost Foster Care Capacity Since 2012
Excerpt: The number of U.S. children in foster care has been on the rise since 2012, and most experts agree that the upward trend will continue. But how are states doing at ensuring there are enough foster homes and other placements to take these children in?...
National Adoption Month 2017
Teens Need Families, No Matter What View this article by Jerry Milner, Associate Commissioner at the Children's Bureau, about this important month-long event. CLICK HERE
ARC Reflections Training Program
By Sam Macer This is a “must have” trauma management information piece for your Foster Parenting Tool Box from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. However, this information may assist any family or caregiver who has a non-foster care child who has experienced some type...
Maryland Resource Parent Survey
Please complete the following survey, as the Maryland Department of Human Services would like to ensure that Maryland's Resource Parents are receiving satisfactory services from the local department of social services. CLICK HERE TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY...
The MRPA Mission
Our Mission is to provide support service to all Resource Families in the state of Maryland. Membership in the Association shall be open to all Resource Parents.
MRPA supports foster, adoptive, kinship and guardianship parents all across the state of Maryland.
Whether you are a current resource parent, a prospective resource parent, or a child welfare professional, MRPA is there to support you.
We realize it takes all of us working together to give children in need a stable, loving family.
