Foster children learn too early how hard life can be. A former foster child herself, Lori Cohee started Foster A Dream, a nonprofit in Martinez, California, an organization with the ultimate goal of making sure that foster youth have every opportunity to achieve their dreams. Foster A Dream is now a program within the Volunteers of America organization.
Cohee shared the feeling she had as a foster child, one that is probably held by many youth who are caught in the child welfare system, “You know you may never again live with the family you belong with and you know you’ll never truly belong to the family you’re with.”
It’s common practice across all cultures for relatives to step forward to offer their homes to children whose parents can’t care for them. In some California counties, these families may be in a program called kinship care, which provides the family with a small stipend of several hundred dollars monthly to defray expenses and support from social workers.
Some youth live in group homes, although that is now less common than traditional foster care homes, and kinship care, said Kim Castaneda, Volunteers of America and Foster A Dream Development Director. Many others live in traditional foster care homes with a family that is not their own.
At best, foster and kinship care situations have dedicated and loving individuals caring for children who are not their own. Foster parents do their best to stretch the resources they are given to provide children with the basics of clothing, food, shelter and transportation.
Rare is the foster home that can fully provide the many extras that children want and need for the healthiest and happiest of childhoods. It’s never an easy task to raise children, and all the more so on a limited budget. That’s where Foster A Dream can help.
GetSet Summer Camp
During the last two weeks in June, Foster A Dream hosted their summer camp called GetSet. GetSet is designed to empower foster youth ages 16 to 21 by teaching them tools for life after foster care. Campers met with local community members who are experts in career development and inspired the youth to reach for their dreams.
One of the businesses the campers visited was the Underground Construction Company. The foster youth heard construction industry employees’ personal stories of their career paths, and experienced a close-up look at the building area. Touring other parts of the company, they learned that there are many jobs in the construction field that don’t involve doing the hands-on part of construction work.
Jamarquez, an 18-year-old youth who lives in a group home and attended the camp, shared that his career interest was in the construction field. His case will soon close and he will emancipate from the child welfare system. “Being able to visit Underground helped me learn what I need to do to get a job so I can care for myself in the future.”
The GetSet camp experience helped Jamarquez see a brighter future. “The thought of not knowing where I’m going to go makes me think there is nothing out there for me. But now that I have experienced Foster A Dream and the volunteers here, I know that I’m not alone.”
Beyond the intensive two weeks of summer day camp, GetSet extends through the school year. Youths are matched with mentors and attend monthly gatherings for guidance and inspiration.
Dare to Dream Scholarship
One of Foster A Dream’s supporters talked with one of the scolars, Coreen, during the Dare to Dream Scholarship ceremony. Coreen and 19 others were being honored that night, and as they talked, Coreen shared her experience in foster care. She felt a lack of support and felt she was given unrealistic expectations. In short, she said she felt she was set up to fail.
Receiving the Dare to Dream scholarship, however, and meeting the Foster A Dream supporters who attended the award event, convinced Coreen to see her abilities in a more positive light. She stated, “If I could describe myself in one word, it would be: believer. I believe everything happens for a reason and we are given only as much as we can handle.”
Being a young mother and full-time student at Merritt College, Coreen’s life is stressful at times. But it has not stopped her from pursuing her passion to one day become a nurse practitioner. She wants to use her example of strength and perseverance to inspire others like her to follow their dreams in life.
Another 2013 Dare to Dream scholar is Paul Castro, who is currently attending California State University East Bay, and will begin his sophomore year in August 2013. Paul was a Dare to Dream recipient in 2012 and was awarded a second scholarship in 2013. Past scholars are not guaranteed a renewal on their scholarship. He had to apply to the scholarship like all the 2013 applicants.
In his Dare to Dream Scholarship application statement, Castro shared that after taking a personality assessment in his college exploration class, he added public health as his college major. “I want to go into my community and work with youth on health issues, teaching them what they need to do in order to stay safe.” He is staying motivated and focused on completing his college degree. He said his first year of college was difficult.
He noted that he had to adjust to being more independent, which was difficult when he was unsure of his next steps. Despite his struggles and worries, Foster A Dream staff and others who know Castro are so proud of him as he completed his first year of college with a 3.06 grade point average.
Adopt A Dream
When resources are needed to fulfill foster children’s dreams, the Foster A Dream staff receives requests from social workers, caregivers and the youth themselves.
In the past, Foster A Dream has granted requests for youth to attend proms, play sports, go to summer camps, and given them items for new apartments, amongst others.
Many former foster youth, including Foster A Dream’s founder Cohee, don’t even have photos of their childhood milestones like graduating high school. Annually, the organization receives dozens of senior portrait requests. This need inspired the formation of a free high school senior portrait event.
In March, photographers Alex and Jeri donated their time and equipment doing personalized senior portrait photo sessions with 18 foster youth (Visit Alex’s and Jeri’s websites at www.photographybyalex.net and www.jeriwyerphotography.com).
Foster A Dream volunteers assisted the youth with hair styling, putting on make-up and adding outfit accessories. For many of the youth this is the first time they are taking a school portrait and capturing their achievement of high school graduation. “Children are always amazed at how they look when they’re photographed by a professional photographer,” Castaneda said.
High school senior Amy, entered Foster A Dream’s office for her portrait session holding her cheerleading uniform. “It was a dream of mine to be on the cheer squad in high school and during my senior year and my dream came true.”
Amy’s caregiver contacted Foster A Dream over the summer break and made a request for assistance to pay for the cost of being on the cheer squad. “Now we are here visiting Foster A Dream to take her senior portraits, it has come full circle. We are so thankful and so proud of Amy for all she has accomplished.”
Wonderland
Corporations donate money and staff time to fundraising efforts and activities supporting Foster A Dream. A wide array of area volunteers, many from businesses, create and staff booths at Wonderland, a holiday event that provides activities and gifts to hundreds of children in foster care. Even Santa Claus attends the popular event that is held in a huge and festively decorated warehouse.
Corporate Angels
One of the many businesses that help support foster children is the Sleep Train Corporation. It’s frequently played radio commercials carry the message, “Not everyone can be a foster parent, but everyone can help a foster child.” Donations collected at Sleep Train stores, such as new clothing, school supplies and backpacks, reach the children for whom they’re intended at the offices of Foster A Dream and similar non-profit organizations throughout California.
Shopping for Clothing
Foster children themselves get to go on shopping for their own clothes. At pre-arranged times, foster families visit the clothing room at Foster A Dream at 638 Escobar Street in Martinez.
New Backpacks for School
Providing new backpacks filled with new school supplies to hundreds of foster youth is another major program of Foster A Dream. Funds are raised and actual backpacks and supplies are collected. Contributions may be made by visiting the Foster A Dream office or website, or going to a Sleep Train store or the corporate website.
Interested in getting involved? Here are three ways to participate:
Simply send a check to help the Foster A Dream staff purchase backpacks and supplies.
Get more involved by downloading a shopping list from the Foster A Dream website, buy school supplies and/or a new backpack, and drop it off at the organization’s offices.
Organize a backpack drive in your own community. What a great way to give children with more advantages the experience of helping others.
Foster Parents
Foster parents accept the huge responsibility of caring for children whose parents can’t take care of them. Their positive impact only begins with providing basic physical needs. Other daily elements care such as:
Consistency in daily routines for meals, homework and bedtime.
Concern for school achievement, extracurricular activities and friendships.
Being there, spending time with the child and providing praise and encouragement.
Providing appropriate boundaries and limits.
Many, arguably most children come into foster care with emotional wounds that need binding. Foster parents provide opportunities for these youth to heal, have good childhoods and grow toward adulthood.
Older Foster Youth
Teachers and principals carry memories of former students who lived with foster parents or relatives. When asked about her experience with these students, retired high school principal Carolyn Plath, who worked at Ygnacio High School in Concord, California said: “Yes, over the years I had many foster students at my school. They are remarkable in their determination.
“I was often struck by their normalcy in the face of their pronounced emotional circumstances. And of course, there were a few who acted out their hurt and anger over the loss of their homes and regular access to their families,” continued Plath.
Last year California legislators passed AB 12, a law that allows foster children who reach age 18 to stay in the system. According to Castaneda of Foster A Dream, more than 50 percent of children in the foster care system are choosing to stay in foster care until age 22. Those who are not sure what direction they want to take may opt in after leaving the system. No additional funding exists for young persons who take the option to stay in the system through the AB 12 option, other than room and board, making donations of extras all the more needed.
How precious are the children on this planet? Who does not have some amount of extra time or money to help the ones whose own parents can’t be there for them for one reason or another?
Foster children can overcome the odds against them and become successful in school and their adult lives. The saying that it takes a village to raise a child comes to mind. When more of us help support struggling children, their lives and ours are better for the effort.
For more information, contact Tamara Earl, Program Director, Foster A Dream at 952-228-0200 or visit the website at
www.fosteradream.org.
Kristine Mietzner lives in Benicia with her golden retriever Max. She serves on the board of Benicia Literary Arts and works as a field supervisor for the Touro University Graduate School of Education. Her work has appeared in the Contra Costa Times, the Benicia Herald, and the online travel magazine, Your Life is a Trip. Her previously published work is posted at www.redroom.com/member/kristine-mietzner. She can be reached at kristine2770@yahoo.com.
