Volume XXXI | August 16, 2023


The Good Stuff in Child Welfare

Welcome to The Good Stuff in Child Welfare!

 

Our team at the Field Center for Children’s Policy, Practice, & Research recognizes that between the all too frequent and grim child welfare stories that make us teary-eyed, clenched-fisted, and faint-hearted, there are inspiring accomplishments and heartening endeavors taking place all over this country at every level of practice. To elevate and promote these encouraging stories, we are pleased to bring you this monthly newsletter emphasizing news stories only about “The Good Stuff” from the broad field of child welfare. This month, we look at creative ways to enhance programming and meet the needs of young people in and aged out of foster care. We hope this read gives you a few moments of hopefulness and a sense of possibility.

  

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13-Year-Old Black Entrepreneur Opens Her Heart to African American Foster Children and Their Unique Hair Needs

Lena Ford, 13, is a young entrepreneur from Marietta, Georgia attempting to address the individualized hair needs of African American children in foster care. She is currently launching her new project, the “Embrace Their Roots Campaign,” a campaign centered around the mission “To bridge the gap between African American hair products and African American children in foster care and experiencing homelessness by raising awareness, educating caregivers and service providers, and providing resources for proper haircare.” The campaign creates partnerships with hair companies to build a community for foster families and provide them with education, products and resources to meet the needs of their African American foster children. 


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Pittsburgh-Area Students Experiencing Homelessness Receive $38,500 in Scholarships

Xavier Littlejohn was 12 years old when he first experienced housing insecurity. Xavier was placed in foster care around that time, causing him to move between multiple homes throughout his teenage years. Now 19 years old, Xavier has completed his first year at the University of Pittsburgh. Xavier was one of 17 students to receive a scholarship, including $2,500 in cash and a new Chromebook computer, from the Homeless Children’s Education Fund. In total, $38,500 was awarded to the recipients, the largest amount of money given to date from this fund. These 17 scholars truly embody what it means to persevere in the face of adversity and to make their dreams a reality.



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Organization Brings Positive Changes to Foster Children's Lives | Pay It Forward

Wendy Bezotte, the Director of Royal Family Kids in Illinois, was recently awarded the Pay it Forward Award, a cash prize from Ascentra Credit Union. Royal Family Kids is an organization dedicated to improving the lives of children in foster care by hosting a week-long camp in the summer full of fun programming, provided at no cost to the campers. In addition to planning the camp, Wendy created a mentoring club that the campers may attend throughout the year. Wendy was nominated by one of her volunteers, Amanda Pease, who says “Our mission is to interrupt cycles of abuse to impact children's lives for the better and Wendy really has been a forefront and pushed us in that direction.”


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Event Recap: Game Night Improves Family Communication

Earlier this summer, Arms Wide’s Adoption Program in Fort Bend, TX hosted a Family Game night where five families participated in a pilot test of new board games to help navigate communication challenges. Dr. Annette Williams, Program Manager of Fort Bend Post Adoption and Post Permanency, created two new games, “Googly Moogly” and “Unpack that Stuff!” with foster and adoptive families’ unique needs in mind. “I enjoyed playing Googly Moogly because you got to see how other kids are getting through things,” recalled one male youth participant. The feedback provided during the pilot Game Night will help Arms Wide use the games as a tool in future foster and adoptive training programs.


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KidsPeace Receives Grant to Create Mentoring Program for Youth in Foster Care in Columbia County, Pennsylvania

Last month, KidsPeace Foster Care and Community Programs in Bloomsburg, PA announced that it received a grant of $7,250 to create a mentoring program for youth in foster care in Columbia County, PA. The grant, provided by the Community Giving Foundation: Berwick, will allow KidsPeace to build on their existing Independent Living Program by launching Cherished Connections Mentoring. This new mentoring program will match youth in the foster care system with caring adults in the community to help prepare them for their departure from foster care. 


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‘Game Changer’ | California Foster Youth Can Now Go to College Completely Free

New legislation in California will help increase access to college for students who have experienced foster care. This legislation, signed into the state budget last month, will allow youth in foster care in California to attend college for free at a UC, Cal State, or California community college. This program will be funded with $25 million annually through the state’s Middle Class Scholarship Fund, which provides coverage for necessities such as textbooks, housing, tuition, and computers at no cost for the student. This new legislation has been championed as a “game changer” in California, since it will increase accessibility to higher education and open doors to success.



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The Field Center team would like to thank the staff and students who brought this newsletter together. Specifically, we recognize our Summer 2023 student Katherine Paulikonis for her contributions in providing readers with this uplifting content. Many thanks to our Associate Director Sarah Wasch for editing and our Administrative Coordinator Felicia Saunders for handling design and distribution. Special thanks to our Managing Faculty Director, Dr. Johanna Greeson for her idea to curate the “good news stories” happening in child welfare!

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