Latest news with #DavidShields
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- General
- Yahoo
How a West Michigan agency reunifies kids with families
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — A West Michigan organization is working to help families successfully reunite as their children exit foster care. June is National Reunification Month and the West Michigan Partnership for Children is working to bring awareness. The WMPC works to help families go through the necessary steps to reach reunification. 'Our goal is to reunite children with their families as quickly as possible, but to also make sure that the children and families have a stable environment in which to thrive and grow,' WMPC Director of Strategic Initiatives and Advocacy David Shields said. 'The programs and services that we provide help to make that unification process happen much, much more quickly.' WMPC looks to place children with family members, only going through adoption services when absolutely necessary, and tries to shorten children's stays in foster care. It also works with other agencies to try to address the root causes of why children are placed in foster care. 'There are different challenges and barriers that every family has, and what we're able to do is to wrap the appropriate services that that family or the children need around that family so that they can thrive and be successful. What one family needs in the issues of maybe child mental health, another family does not, so we have the ability to really craft the response and a support around families,' Shields said. The latest Kent County data from 2024 shows 599 total children being cared for in foster care, with 200 exiting care, according to WMPC. Of those, 79 children were reunified with their families. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Historic tank completes trip home to Japan thanks to Fredericksburg museum
AUSTIN (KXAN) — The National Museum of the Pacific War, which is located in Fredericksburg, helped return a World War II-era tank to Japan following an exchange for an authentic replica of the Type 95 Ha-Go Light Tank. According to the museum, the exchange marked the end of a bilateral agreement signed in March 2024. 'Unlike its predecessor, this newly acquired replica will be actively utilized in the Museum's immersive living history programs, significantly enhancing visitor experiences through interactive interpretation of Pacific Theater history,' the museum said. According to the Pacific War museum, the transfer prompted correspondence and messages of gratitude from prominent Japanese government officials and helped highlight the exchange's diplomatic significance and the strengthening of bilateral relationships. 'This exchange represents not just a significant cultural and historical event, but also an unprecedented moment of international cooperation and goodwill,' said David Shields, museum director of the National Museum of the Pacific War. 'The return of the Type 97 Chi-Ha Medium Tank to Japan underscores our dedication to preserving global military heritage while strengthening international friendships.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
