MALLEE Accommodation and Support Program’s (MASP) Fostering Friday in Mildura is just over a week away.
Fostering Friday brings the community together for two special events – a free family fun day and an evening panel exploring lived experience and foster care policy.
Taking place on Friday 18 September as part of Foster Care Week 2026, the day kicks off with an action-packed afternoon at Sarah Oval before moving inside the Imperial Football Netball Club rooms for an evening of personal stories, expert insight and community discussion.
From 2pm until 4.30pm, families can launch the Victorian school holidays with free laser tag, pony rides, wildlife demonstrations, food, drinks and more — a fun-filled celebration of foster carers and the life-changing difference they make for children and young people.
From 5.30pm there will be a thought-provoking discussion panel inside the Imperial Football Netball Club rooms. Special guest Josh Jenkins — a former AFL footballer who grew up in foster care in Swan Hill — will meet children and families during the afternoon before joining the panel to share his lived experience.
“Foster care is crucial to ensure all kids get the opportunity they deserve to achieve their dreams,” Jenkins said.
“I was a product of that environment, so I know better than most the importance of foster carers and the support networks around them. I am pumped to get back to Mildura — a place I have not been to for maybe two decades — to meet some kids and families across the region. Whether they are footy lovers, sports lovers or just keen to hear about my pathway from foster care to where I am now.”
Also on the panel will be Member for Mildura and Victorian Shadow Minister for Disability, Ageing, Carers and Volunteers Jade Benham, Centre for Excellence in Child and Family Welfare Manager Kinship and Foster Care Sheree Gee and a former foster carer.
The afternoon family fun day is free, while places for the evening panel are limited. Secure a panel ticket at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/masp-fostering-friday-lived-experience-and-policy-panel-tickets-1996360391672?aff=oddtdtcreator
MASP Chief Executive Officer Charmaine Calis said the two events offered different but complementary ways for the community to connect with foster care.
“Foster Care can truly change a child’s life,” she said.
“We are looking forward to celebrating all things Foster Care with our whole community — first through a fantastic afternoon for families, and then through an important evening conversation about lived experience, policy and the support children, carers and families need.”
Fostering Friday is presented with the support of major sponsor Mildura Toyota.
