F
oSLer arc is meant lO prO\; Ie
l mporarY:Xlf ly t r hilur 11 (~Iughl
up in lh ir par I1L<;' probl lOS.
t\ttC'r :) ('( wt hns lllovC'{1 Ih In
from til ir stressful situalic lIS into a f()St I'
hom'. "YflU S (' il ·hild wh is just kit d
of \\;1 h lrawn and 1\ t b ~i.llg a 'hUrl, nol
nilip To .Ius! be a kid, and then,' U S ('
tl 'lttl':msfonnali 11, ... s:lys Thl\\'<l Wood.
VI/JWlt!' I' ,If III . Y 'ar r r 1 '1 nhurgs
rimu'(lian iul Lilt III program
(iAL vulunl >1's, "lYS \\00ll pl'rJ\'i I n
n ulTaI advocate, SlHneone for 111) children
10 talk r whil !Jarcnt ,U \\OrkiJl.'( III
rhplr p hi IllS'l tJl fi:ullily ('all I)\-' ['('llnilf'l'l
Thev S0C LhaL th(' childr n all~ kept s..'1rf> a11r1
50
Pnde Magazine
I
September-OctOber 2009
Many nllSS out on
teachable moments
Ulcir n ~Is are met
SItS! II cause .vou've t urn I J • say'
fOllll I' fosler child Tony,< farris, doesn't
mC'an vou'r ' I' arty lO l?nt I' Ul ' 'i\'ol'ld.
h ' n \\' -t.., married anrl IIUlII;Jger
of th' vl.1 ual orn (' ill financial sl ralt'gisl
, all h Build rs [ll. bul she'linev r
[arg l the Jonclin !is of b ing in fOSl I'
• In times! h r" no f)1Ul'lIl 'hil t
r llJuon, amj III chill ll' 'll I"f'rnaUllll fosler
"lr's still par of \\'ho 1am,"
hOllles in lndiullu h r enUr chillhQod,
C.! I '-ri
flS
like,
"H(I~'
much money (10
you n d to livp'}" "110\\ ntue-h mon 'y do
you need to save'l" can l.p !oLally f r 19l1 to
a fo~t,'1' dtild. says f-[;:uTis, "Til ' at(' lit"
IJlings rnosl p:lrellu; help tlteir children ",iUt"
Sh(~ ;lnr] It r husu<Lnd, •'fPe Harris.
arp I hnning an "Ernl o\l'l'[f'd [lir '~tions"
prl]~ram \0 help f IT! I' l'ostPr el Ullr'll
lli'C[ lire Imo\\-l'l!ge tJp~' might llill'l' mis.I'd
aI ns lhE' 1\ (ly
IJ r.ottiliE' , UIiPI naIlI lessolls are passed
alOll,'\, \'cr-::l.1:U11E'S, who "d0111Pd s \"I'r:11
y '<U'S ago throu;:tll Anothrr Ch')1 'P for Bhl<' k
('Jill !rel\, cUd jllst thaI with t\Yu adopted
daugllll'I'S and a [osl!"l' lbuglitl'f
TIwy'd ti" llit)'p (in UI b <I) iVI I leJI gho t
sind s, ' nd talk about rh ir h\,'s ;\lld [amUil' .
"It gaVl' liS as 'I\.':;(, of whu we arl'," ~I\'S
,1:Utl s, :I,.latTs 'rgrant utili' .-\.nn,v RpS\'t'V('s
". s I was tc;telling tJll Ill, III YWI 1"
I cachm,[\ I [1('. I knnw some dan s, I ('\'('11
('ndeu U)\ lil<iJ1g rapl PI' Lil' \\'a~Tl(, "
Babies . I e top
choice for ado tees
, '1115(' of prospf'C:llv • I pUv('
nrenl " f'nrlliUlt nWJlL ~;tJ\ babi's.
older 1'h1hll'('n Mkn geot ov rlooked for
l1rloption, s \'<; Rllt h Arnt'rson, dirt't'tor
of th ) nonprofit AWllll,)' hoire
TII'r ar' ~l ill all 'st imat d ~ 0
l'oUlI' J1 piE' ag,,~ l:~ to 1 in [ost I'
car ill lp 'k! nhl1l'g, pIllS lUlU! h 'I' J 5:'­
ages JH I il J 1 \\ Ito 11:1\ 3g~'tl lJUI I u,
slill luainl UI sowc contacl II i lit IIll'
tal' an I ,'oltnly's ill I tJ ndenl-!i\,ing
pI' grHlll, I Ill' Pli lflni ' PI' ~ ct
rla\'ulg en luI' rI I hl' I rauma I [
S 'punti, HI. rrom not (ILly parPll1 S
bul sililillgs, tit(' 'rp ilk'ly 10 have
1lIor I rolJl('ll1s "itJ I SdlO 'iUlCl
Plllpl YHII '11 I I hatl ~Yllur <1\ fOrage .r,)(,,"
';ly5
Ttkia
rlllJellix
Pr
ielson, c( urdiJ alor o[ I h '
~pc\.
Sep ember October 2009
I
Pnde MagaZIne
51
Whal bolher.; Y uth . F' mily Rrrvi es
emergency rost r P:ll' 'llt !lashe 1<1 M lullin
lite lllOSt, shC' says. is IllL1t \I'h{' II 'hildrclI
It'an' lil'r hum art I I hone-month liJ1UL,
they !lIOW' to <11101111'1' sdlu IL ~Th' kid' ~{'l
I' 'all~ discOll r~l ~ tl h~' tliat, h:1\ing I () ,qo
fn III sl'll! I to schoo.
One
H
child has agru
QUI,
j( bit,S n s,
alld \Iii h
it hOIlll'lt'S, n 'SS, arC' L11C maj I"
j I till. or lilt' lfi~ he kno\\'s
alH Ill, livc 01' r l\'f'r !night b(> It lmd '55 al
.1IlY il 'II I illle, she cstimate,
TIll' r 'C ,sion, sh says, "!tas rlo-lillil Iy
1akcn a 1 II Illuur :'r;~:;-~ pcopl . l' OlJlf'
IIII' als, say,
\'{ho h;1I
LI
i >ISOII :<lY,
''1'!tt't'f''S fundillg avail hi,> fir I U l­
secondu.ry du '<~t i 11 () 1'0 'alinnal lrainillg.
\\' can help thelll \\'it It all kin Is r l h.iugs
lik' l'pnl. Utilil i~s, h usr'ilold supplies, work
uniJomls, \\'e II 'Ill L111C1ll \\-itlt us IJtlSS ,"
Rut it's nothing like th ltplp yOllllg !lnlple
l'rom a ramI\v i rjo s dl) up amI
til y hel.\'
1<) nlo 'back home, "'I'll 1'.'5 !lui
nr ugJl llIun ~ leJ, . "f'. pay rlwir t' I1t for a
y<,o.r." S;J~'S iclsoll "\\'l' might \)(, aul", to Iwll
L1IPIl\ \lit h t heir rent a couple of limes..
Tht' ctHl1llry's t!('onOI1I.ic stimulus packa ,.
is
52
gJ \\ 1\, \\ hj ' I Ii' h (l~ s \nIl me;11I c]n,>cr
r('lalJon..sltips lilll .1I1Ulg Ilt oplp,
Lan JIll, a j;.1\1~
~I
" mlfl \
1t
'
like' him
pick'd coli g ," he ays,
on raditiona ado tive
parents fi I voi
ro
'down the wong path
I
gn ( s nlld .U' l lter trained ar
laking the jLJbs ill' yOl1llg l' pI!' 111m! 11'1\'(>,"
The Phoenix {'roj ("I t'a ht', iii!' skiW
Ilk> \l 'r.;cIllal sal' ly and budgeting, ami
inlra IIll'!?S young I t oJ.ll ' I I 1h ' worlds
of \,\ ork and tuUeg b>f 11'(' 111 'y lllrI1 J
Bt'Yond ll1nt 'UlolT pOill(, "\I'can II 1p
Ihelll 10< b. for Ilousing ;]!lC! li'll1plo rT\1('IlL,"
('all gC'1
JOUS. "I 1.:11 \ \I C' llild it OUll('1! or ki 1. 1 t
luI" I at C'm'OI\;ncls.
i'l 'II 11\" Alld
llOf'! ~ L>rclJC' t's Illilld.> r of 'lllplu~" s has
h(~l\lit~, b~ PI'O\'iitil\~ 1I\0n ~ for SllnUIII'1
Pnde Magazine
I
September-0ctober 2
nLl'l adolJl LI,
n of III F' than 1,.
children til .
agen y ha f lmd h IlWS f I' since it
began 1-l ye<lr' ago, sh say.
To littd th s' hom s, Ltl ag n y has
'Olll lim
looked outside the tradiUu Itll
pool f pal' nb. h Iping some ~O single
Afrkan-Am!'ri cll1 men Lo <idapl Finan 'luI
strat gist Brinn Willis, a 'harlalL'" aclJuirer
of l he agency's \\"ork, says that go "
Llf;llll I the :ill re t,l'
of Africanerican
me.n:·' hal II' < rpl1'l lovillg. Thal we
don't know
ho~' I
do hair"
ne amily palling lS ma up f
Starr Sgt \"era J,Ui"l s and her daughlPrs,
'hawn shia. 16. nnd Jas:x'u1dl'u, I( .
• or James, a<lupLicm of an Jldf'1'
lull has been ";] great ::-':"peri€'Tlc~ that I
thank
d f r"
F'ur SI\R VI1 shin, il mans, '" lim a
han ( go h m to," lEI