VC Reperter - "Against All Odds"

Please take the time to read this article below. Not only does it tell my story but gives you an understanding of the problems and statistics that face not only the children in the foster and shelter care system but those agencies that work with them. The article touches on what I have been talking about for quite some time...the transitional period for those young adults capping out of the system that have not been adopted. Every year a high percentage of those emancipated youth become incarcerated, homeless, turn to drugs & alcohol, and find themselves back in the system they wanted so much to get away from. PLEASE HELP STOP THIS CYCLE!!!

I can not tell you how my heart aches for all of these children. I was one of them and I most certainly would have had a horrible outcome if it was not for a counselor at the shelter who gave me a chance. Not one of the foster homes gave me a shot, they returned me like I was a puppy from the pound. I think that people have got to understand that "we" (the children in the system) are broken. Not by choice but by the circumstances. Our fate is decided by others from the time we were born. The scares we have and the burdens we carry are huge and sometimes we just need people to be patient with us. Trust is not in our vocabulary and words are just noise we block out. Our survival instincts are built on our experiences. To help "us" you have to understand that we are programed differently. We need stability and consistency. Sure we are going to fight it every step of the way but we need to know you won't quit on us!

Please click on the link below to see the article.

Ventura County Reporter - Against all odds

Thank you Carla Iacovetti and the VC Reporter for doing this piece and bringing awareness on these very important issues that are affecting not only this county but the State of California and the entire United States as a whole!