About Us

We are a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to serving the needs of foster children in the Merrimack Valley including Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen, Andover, and North Andover. With hundreds of foster children in our local area, they need role models who can make a difference in their lives.

Through the efforts of the organization, together with our community, our goal is to bring a positive influence into the lives of these children and support them as they grow. We offer a range of programs for local foster children of all ages. We work closely with the Department of Children and Families (DCF, formerly DSS) to make sure our programs are complementary and needed, and do not overlap with state and federally funded programs.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

OFFICERS:
Larry F. Giordano, President
Eileen F. Giordano, Vice President
Donna L. Kelleher, Treasurer
Kelly Moore, Secretary

DIRECTORS:
Kim Contarino
Sheriff Frank Cousins
Vicky Wu Davis
Rep. Brian Dempsey
Barbara Bonanno-Frascone
Juliann Grant
Frank Graziano
Donna Hardwick
Joseph Parolisi
William Pitocchelli
Susanne Spitale
Francine E. Valcourt, Esq.
Arlene Willette

HONORARY DIRECTOR
Senator Stan Rosenberg

LIAISON FROM DCF
Doreen Hatch
Laurie McNeil

About the Founder,
Larry Giordano

Larry Giordano is the President and Founder of Foster Kids of the Merrimack Valley, Inc., which reaches out and supports the growing needs of foster children in the Merrimack Valley region.   Larry Giordano, raised as a foster child, is a recognized leader in the Merrimack Valley with an exceptional resume of community service. Larry was abandoned by his mother in a Springfield hotel when he was five days old. He lived in a foster home until he was 17, at which time he entered the US Air Force. His years in foster care shaped the man Larry Gagnon became and as a tribute to his foster mother, he took her surname Giordano and became Larry Giordano. Due to his experience as a foster child, he knows the value of community support and aims to help the foster children in the Merrimack Valley grow up and get the help they need to be successful. Larry currently serves as a Methuen City Councilor and Hanshi Master (10th degree blackbelt) at the Giordano Family Methuen Karate School. In previous years, he served as Commissioner of Public Safety, Methuen State Representative and Methuen Police Officer.