A Foster Kid S Road To Success

It's tough being a foster kid. In addition to dealing with the abuse, trauma and/or neglect in their home of origin, kids in the foster care system face the fear and uncertainty inherent in having one or more temporary family placements. For kids who never find a permanent home, but instead age out of the system, homelessness, unemployment, drug addiction, and debilitating mental health illnesses are often their reality as they enter adulthood. But that doesn't have to be their future! A Foster Kid's Road To Success teaches teens in foster care the most important life lessons needed to succeed after aging out.

“Pemberton’s beautifully told story is a rags to riches journey—beginning in a place and with a jarring set of experiences that could have destroyed his life. But Steve’s refusal to give in to those forces, and his resolve to create a better life, shows a courage and resilience that is an example for many of us to follow.” —Stedman Graham, author, educator Home is the place where our life stories begin. A Chance in the World is the astonishing true story of a boy destined to become a man of resilience determination and vision. Down in the dank basement, amidst my moldy, hoarded food and beloved worm-eaten books, I dreamed that my real home, the place where my story had begun, was out there somewhere, and one day I was going to find it. Taken from his mother at age three, Steve Klakowicz lives a terrifying existence. Caught in the clutches of a cruel foster family and subjected to constant abuse, Steve finds his only refuge in a box of books given to him by a kind stranger. In these books, he discovers new worlds he can only imagine and begins to hope that one day he might have a different life, that one day he will find his true home. A fair-complexioned boy with blue eyes, a curly Afro, and a Polish last name, he is determined to unravel the mystery of his origins and find his birth family. Armed with just a single clue, Steve embarks on an extraordinary quest for his identity, only to find that nothing is as it appears. Through it all, Steve’s story teaches us that no matter how broken our past, no matter how great our misfortunes, we have it in us to create a new beginning and to build a place where love awaits.

Change a child's life! Reap the rewards of becoming a foster parent. Over 600,000 American children are in the foster care system each year—and the number is growing. So is the number of good-hearted people willing to become foster parents. But what does it take to become a foster parent? How does one begin? What about your own family? What does it cost? Success as a Foster Parent has the answers to these basic questions and much more. Written by Rachel Greene Baldino, MSW, in association with the National Foster Parent Association, it is the first and only commercially available book to clearly explain the process of becoming a foster parent. Readers will learn: • The questions to ask before making the decision to be a foster caregiver • How to research local state and private agencies • The financial cost and the compensation • The challenges involved in caring for children from infants to teens, including physically- and psychologically-challenged kids • Issues relating to schools, birth parents, supervisory visits, vacations, and dozens of other factors • All about adoption In addition to concrete information, there are dozens of moving stories drawn from interviews with veteran foster parents and tips about caregiving.

"Let's be brave as a new foster family. We are in this together." "What will it be like when my foster sibling has to say goodbye?" Braver Than Me is a story about Avery, a loquacious girl whose family welcomes their first foster child into their home. Avery shares with her Mom and Dad about her mixed-up feelings. She and her parents learn together what it is like to be a foster family-that it's okay to feel two emotions at the same time, especially when reunification takes place. Love, bravery, and empathy fill the pages as Avery realizes her foster sibling is "braver than me."

This book is not solely written to discuss the plight of the underrepresented, but rather to assist former and current foster children and their foster parents to understand how to reach for and achieve success. This book will provide tools to overcome challenges as well as contribute to the knowledge foster children have about the great opportunities they have been afforded by simply being foster children. Written by a former foster child who now has his doctorate in education.

Over 20 years ago a vision was seen. A mission began. That journey today is to bring peace, joy, love, and light into the lives of millions. Terry Azzouz has worked as a therapist within the foster care system. She has worked with countless children, parents, foster families, CPS caseworkers, Attorneys and Judges. She has been called upon as an expert witness. And through it all Terry Azzouz has kept her focus to help those in need. Successful Journey Through Foster Care is the continuation of Terry’s personal mission. She has taken content from years of working in the system to create stories you will relate to. You will find yourself knowing cases just like these stories. But Terry Azzouz didn’t just give you the stories. She provides you with the problem as viewed from different individuals involved in the stories. Then Terry Azzouz completes the journey by giving you practical solutions to so many of the cases that are faced every day within the foster care system. You might also enjoy Terry Azzouz’s other book that offers practical help: “The Cheating Game: The Reasons People Cheat and What to do About It”