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MEDIA CONTACT:

Julie Popp

Colorado Department of Human Services

julie.popp@state.co.us

720-788-1307

Colorado Celebrates National Reunification Month with Nearly 1,400 Children Reunited in 2025

“Hope, Healing and Home” Event to Honor Families at Elitch Gardens on June 5, 2026

DENVER, CO [June 1, 2026]— June is National Reunification Month, a time to recognize the families that have overcome significant obstacles to safely bring their children back home from foster care. In 2025, nearly 1,400 children and youth across the state successfully reunified with their families, a testament to the courage of parents and the dedicated partnerships within the child welfare system.

To honor these milestones, the Colorado’s Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel (ORPC), the Office of Children, Aging and Community Services (OCACS) within the Colorado Department of Human Services, Colorado’s Court Improvement Program (CIP), Colorado Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) and the Office of the Child’s Representative (OCR) are uniting under the theme “Hope, Healing and Home: A Reunification Celebration,” emphasizing the hard work of all partners to ensure children and youth are better served by safely returning home.

Reunified families and professionals are invited to join a celebration of Hope, Healing, and Home to honor the strength of families and the multi-disciplinary teams that support them.

• Date: Friday, June 5, 2026
• Time: 11:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
• Location: Elitch Gardens, Maroon Bells Pavilion, Denver

“It takes compassion, commitment, and the support of a dedicated team to keep families together,” said Melissa Thompson, executive director of ORPC. “We’re proud to work alongside other Colorado agencies to help our clients become the parents they want to be and that their children need.”

This year’s event will highlight the stories of three remarkable families and one dedicated professional who exemplify the heart of reunification:

• Stephanie Franks (Jefferson County): After overcoming addiction and instability, Stephanie relentlessly navigated legal barriers to reunite with her children in August 2025. She remains a fierce advocate for her family’s well-being.
• Wanda Moon (El Paso County): By transforming her life through recovery, Wanda reunited her family and now pays it forward through “Wanda’s Closet,” a community initiative supporting those experiencing homelessness in Colorado Springs.
• Helen Jimenez (Denver County): Through a year-and-a-half journey of growth and perseverance, Helen overcame setbacks to achieve sustained sobriety and bring her daughters home.
• Molly Ryan KillsEnemy (Statewide): An Indian Child Welfare Act (ICWA) specialist and fierce advocate, Molly uses her lived experience and professional expertise to protect Native families and ensure tribal sovereignty, facilitating rapid and safe reunifications.

In Colorado, the majority of children in the child welfare system are eventually reunified with parents who have successfully addressed safety concerns through treatment and skill-building.

“When someone enters the system, there’s a lot of judging and a lot of assumptions,” said Molly Ryan KillsEnemy of working with parents in the child welfare system. “When a case opens up on a parent, I always try to be really understanding and not jump to conclusions when I enter into a case; getting the whole story is really important for me.”

Reunification is more than a legal outcome; it is also a journey grounded in hope and realized in the stability of home. By working across disciplines to provide trauma-informed support, Colorado’s child welfare community is ensuring that more families are reunited and stronger than ever before.

About the Colorado Office of Respondent Parents Counsel (ORPC)

The Colorado Office of Respondent Parents’ Counsel (ORPC) is an independent state agency that supports Colorado parents in the fight to preserve families in dependency and neglect cases. Since 2016, ORPC has protected the right to parent by recruiting and training attorneys statewide, advocating for family-centered policies, and promoting equity and transparency in the family regulation system through data. As a result of our work, more families are reunified and stronger together. Learn more at www.coloradoORPC.org.

About the Colorado Office of Children, Aging and Community Services

The Office of Children, Aging, and Community Services (OCACS) is an office within the Colorado Department of Human Services (CDHS) dedicated to promoting the safety, permanency and well-being of Coloradans of all ages. OCACS provides statewide leadership, funding, policy development and oversight in partnership with county human services departments, Tribes, Area Agencies on Aging, and community organizations. OCACS oversees Child Welfare, Community Programs, and Aging and Adult Protective Services, which collectively ensure consistent and effective service delivery for vulnerable populations across their lifespans. Learn more at cdhs.colorado.gov.

About the Colorado Office of the Child’s Representative

The Office of the Child’s Representative (OCR) is the state agency mandated to provide competent and effective legal representation to children and youth involved in the Colorado court system. Their mission is to give children and youth a voice in Colorado legal proceedings through high-quality legal representation that protects and promotes their safety, interests, and rights. Their vision is for justice, opportunity, and healthy families for all court-involved children and youth. For more information, please visit www.coloradochildrep.org.

About Colorado Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA)

Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA) are volunteers who advocate on behalf of child victims who have experienced abuse and neglect, domestic violence, and/or sexual assault. CASA volunteers are appointed by judges to advocate for children’s best interests. Our best-interest advocacy is driven by the guiding principle that children grow and develop best with their family of origin. For more information, please visit coloradocasa.org.

About the Colorado Court Improvement Program (CIP)

The Colorado Court Improvement Program (CIP) is funded by a federal grant administered by the Children’s Bureau and aimed at improving the handling of dependency and neglect cases in the Colorado court system. Colorado’s CIP projects are guided by a five-year strategic plan developed by a multidisciplinary task force.

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