Dear Editor,
Recently ABC News aired a special report on foster youth in our
nation and their struggle to find love, acceptance and stability
within a family. Don’t think that this only happens in other
places; children in our communities face the very same problem.
California alone has one fifth of the nation’s foster youth.
Dear Editor,
Recently ABC News aired a special report on foster youth in our nation and their struggle to find love, acceptance and stability within a family. Don’t think that this only happens in other places; children in our communities face the very same problem. California alone has one fifth of the nation’s foster youth.
Everyday, children who live in our home towns are forced to go without a family to love them, accept them, teach them, nurture them and provide an unconditional connection through the ups and downs of life. The only way to solve the problem is for us to come together as a community and make a commitment to our children that every child shall have a family.
I have read and spoken to so many foster youth whose biggest dream is simply to be part of a family. A family to celebrate with, laugh with, vacation with, cry with and snuggle with. Yet I know for every birthday they have, that the chances of them finding that family diminish astronomically. It is a heartbreaking reality that age is the greatest challenge that they face in their quest for a family, something that they can do nothing about.
But this doesn’t have to the reality for our foster youth. There are so many things that we could do for our foster youth, but simply don’t. Maybe we just assume that someone else will make the commitment; that it would be too hard to get attached to a child who may reunify; or that these children are too “damaged” to take in.
No one else is going to do this, these are our children, we must step forward and make the commitment. Why should a child spend one more day with out a family to love them simply because we as adults are afraid of feeling loss? As adults, it is our responsibility to step up, and take the hits for our children. Maybe the time spent with you is the only glimmer of a family that this child will ever have, and it will a lifelong impact. And since when do children need to be “pre-qualified” for a family? There should never be minimum requirements to be loved unconditionally as a family member.
I urge you to take that first step today, every day that a child spends without a family is one day too many.
Adopt a child or sibling group from the foster care system. All adoptions are FREE, and there is financial support until the child turns 18.
For more ideas and information you can go to www.rcskids.org or call (408) 846-2119.
Melissa Driscoll,
Rebekah Children’s Services, Gilroy
