May is Foster Care Awarness month so Thursday, May 1st will mark the official beginning of my walk. Through the month of May, I will walk and bring awarness to foster care in the US, with a focus on NC. I will be posting more often, keeping you current on my miles walked as well as bring facts to the table for discussion. I encourage you to engage with me and discuss topics I raise or provide feedback.
Gary Stangler, Executive director, Jim Casey Youth Opportunities Initiative, had an article in Huffington Post July 2013. Studies show that we spend an average of $300,000 for every youth that ages out of foster care. Expenses include public assistance, incarceration, shelters, and lost wages, just to name a few. That is over 8 Billion dollars per year. Is this really how we want to invest in these youth?
There was an interesting article in CNN last week entitled "We are abandoning children in foster care." It is written by Rita Soronen, President and CEO of the Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption. The facts she provides line up with the video I put together and shared with you a couple of weeks ago. As you can expect, she comes from the perspective that we are failing these youth because of not providing them with permanent families through adoption but in my experience we have kids that are not wanting to be adopted and, in my opinion, they are entitled to that. One thing that can not be negated, no matter how bad the childs situation was, some kids are very loyal to their birth families and most of these youth will always love their parents. We have provided a system for these kids to be adopted for years and it has not worked. Don't you think it's time we come up with other solutions as well?
http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/16/opinion/soronen-foster-children/ Over the last 13 years I have been through many transitions with my kids. Most of them have not been easy and it doesn't get any easier. Two weeks ago my youngest was removed from my home very unexpectedly. The most difficult part of this transition is that of seeing what his siblings have gone through. He had been with us for 2 years and we had been working towards a plan of adoption. Sometimes what we plan isn't what God had planned though. I am very happy to say that this transition was probably the best thing for him as he is with a family whom he loves dearly and who loves him. They have decided to adopt him and I pray that everything goes smoothly and works out for him and them. As for me and my kids, well let's just start by saying things have been quiet but at the same time it has given us places to really open up with each other. Yes, transitions can be very hard but through them I grow every time. The one thing I lean on is knowing that they are in God's hands and He knows what is best for them as well as for me. One question I often get asked is “How did you get into Foster Care?” It was Christmas of 2002 and I was asked, by my employer, to find a couple of families that we could sponsor for the holidays. Back then we still used the yellow pages so to the phone book I went. I started looking up non profit organizations and came across one called Volunteer Families for Children. I thought to myself ‘that sounds like something I would be interested in’ and gave them a call. They explained to me that they provided respite care for children in the foster care system as well as to children whom they were working with the parents to avoid them from getting put into the system. I was told that I would have to get my foster parent license and pass a home study so off to training I went. At the time I had 2 roommates, Gail and Angela, who supported my efforts by attending the trainings as well and becoming licensed, what a blessing they were to me. By the end of 2002 we welcomed our first child. It’s funny because today I couldn’t even begin to tell you who it was. I have fostered over 50 kids in my home and I have a list of them somewhere, writing this reminds me I need to find it. The majority of these kids I have had for short stays from a weekend to a month, providing support to foster parents and birth parents. I was very active at helping reunite these children with their birth families and have always had a passion for that being the ultimate goal. There comes a time though when kids have been in the system for so long or the parents rights are terminated and a permanent plan is definitely necessary, especially when they are teens. Without going into this subject too much I would just like to say that it is this need that I have seen and the number of kids that don’t have such a plan that has lead me to where I am today. I am going to continue to tell you my story and share some of the ups and downs, ins and outs that I have faced over the years as well as share information regarding foster care in the US and individual states. Until next time, know I am filled with great expectation as to where things are going and what is in store.
My name is Maurita and the purpose of this blog is to bring awareness and support to families and kids involved in the Foster Care System. I find the perception most individuals who have never been involved with the system is often mislead and that they misconceive a lot about the kids, the parents and even the foster parents. I often get questions like – Do you do it for the money? How can you let the kids go? Do you ever hear from them again? And much much more. I have been fostering kids for over 13 years now and have had over 50 kids aging from 5 months to 21 years old. I don’t look at these kids as being ‘foster’ kids while they are in my care, they are my family. I have cried many tears and fought through many struggles but seeing my kids grow and believe in themselves again is something I would never give up. I will be sharing some of my stories through this blog as well as sharing stories from other foster parents and kids who have or are currently in the system and fighting the fight to succeed. I invite you to join me on this journey and hear some of the facts about the foster care system in various states and as a nation. I welcome you and thank you for your support and open hearts and minds.
|
AuthorMaurita McCorkle Archives
January 2021
Categories |