Author: Billy Flynn
Tylei
Meet Tylei! There’s never a dull moment with Tylei, an energetic and fun 8 ½ year old. He is starting 2nd grade this fall. Tylei’s favorite subjects are reading and math. He’s an action hero fan and his favorite character is “Ironman.” Tylei is an active and engaging young man who will tell you he [...]
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School’s Out for the Summer … Make the Most of Your Break
Final projects turned in, desks cleaned out, and the classroom doors are closed … summer has arrived! For many families, there is much to anticipate: sleeping in, vacations, and camps. But for foster parents, it is often a season of uncertainty as the kids in their care adjust to a new daily routine, away from […]
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Tony, Tiana, Tre’vione & Ashton
Tony, Tiana, Tre’vione, and Ashton are four active fun loving siblings, with charisma, and hearts full of hope, they consider each other as teammates with that strong sibling bond. Tony has a smile that will light up a room, with that winning smile is an engaging personality, he also has a terrific sense of humor, [...]
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David
David is a sweet seven year old boy. If you want every day to start with a smile, there’s no doubt David will bring one to your face. His infectious smile shows off his charming dimples. David encompasses spirit like no other, and the rewards of his love and smiles will be endless. David has [...]
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30 Years of Volunteers
It was a sea of smiles at Wells Fargo Advisors last month, as the Coalition welcomed longtime supporters to our 30 Years of Volunteers Luncheon. It felt more like a family reunion, bringing together extraordinary individuals and groups who have been committed to serving our most vulnerable kids for the last three decades. The room [...]
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Keshawn
Meet Keshawn! Keshawn has good manners and is a quiet and reserved young man until he becomes familiar with new people. When he warms up to you, he will greet you with a warm smile, focused eye contact, and will study and observe you closely. Keshawn loves having books read to him. His current favorite [...]
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Callyiah
Callyiah’s 16 year old artistic soul will be a great addition to any family. She greets everyone with a huge smile and has a precious laugh. On any random day, Callyiah can be found watching how-to videos on YouTube about painting and arts and crafts. Within hours of watching those videos she will be ready [...]
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The Real “Crisis” in Foster Care
How many times have you heard the following? We don’t have enough foster parents. There aren’t enough qualified parents to care for our kids. There is a crisis-level shortage of available homes. If you live the child welfare life, we’d guess every day. But that’s not the full story. Those statements would lead you to [...]
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Lynell & Ryan
Fourteen year old twin brothers, Lynell and Ryan, will steal your heart in double time. They are your typical teenage boys who love to play video games, ride their bikes around the neighborhood, and love sports. They both have a special connection to animals and have adopted a rescue dog with their foster family that [...]
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Gabriel
Meet Gabriel “Gabe”, a young man who has a friendly demeanor and a positive outlook on life. With a spirit as infectious as his smile, Gabe describes himself as a kind and easy going person. Gabe is excited about finding his forever home that will be able to model and teach him new things as [...]
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Kevin & Kaden
Kevin, or KJ as he likes to be called, is a handsome 7-year-old who is all boy! He loves to run, play, and swim. KJ loves sports and his favorites are baseball, basketball and football. He also really enjoys TV and movies and recently discovered the XBOX Kinect and plays games like soccer and bowling. [...]
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Radical Acceptance
Click here to download a pdf. “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional” Caring for children and youth who have survived severe and complicated trauma can be exhausting and finding peace among the chaos can be daunting. When we enter survival mode, we can lose perspective and situations can quickly spiral out of emotional control. WHAT […]
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Ian’s Story: Imagine Something More
Part 3 of a 3-part blog series about The Coalition’s National Program Advisor, Ian Forber Pratt On July 11, 2018, Ian Forber-Pratt boarded a plane to St. Louis. Over the last 9 years, he’d been at the forefront of a movement to change the face of child welfare in India. Now he was headed back [...]
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Ian’s Story: Overcoming the Odds
Part 2 of a 3-part blog series about The Coalition’s National Program Advisor, Ian Forber Pratt In a cluttered, sweltering government building in Rajasthan, India, Ian Forber Pratt stood sweating in the office of the Director of the Department of Child Rights (DCR). He had come to ask permission to do something unprecedented: create a [...]
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Ian’s Story: Standing in the Gap
Part 1 of a 3-part blog series about The Coalition’s National Program Advisor, Ian Forber Pratt Ian Forber-Pratt went to the courthouse in 2009 to begin his first case as an Extreme Recruiter. He entered the courtroom to the sound of screaming. Ian backed against the wall as Mallory*, age 14, was wheeled out of [...]
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Gabriella & Vanessa
Gabriella (or Gabby) is a super fun fourteen-year-old girl, looking for a family to call her own. Gabby considers herself to be a girly-girl, except for when she is playing football or fishing! When asked to describe herself in four words, she immediately said bubbly, outgoing, curious, and expressive! You can frequently catch Gabby dancing, [...]
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Hope
Hope is an adorable 13 year old young lady with brown eyes and black hair. She is affectionate and sweet natured, yet she can be feisty. Hope loves one on one attention. Hope enjoys spending time with nurturing women who she can look up to for guidance and support. Her favorite foods are ramen noodles, [...]
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Lavon
Ten year old Lavon will quickly catch your heart with his sheepish smile and soft spoken demeanor. Don’t be fooled though, he is an active kid who you can expect to join a pick up soccer game at the park. Lavon loves all sports with his go to being soccer and football. He loves to [...]
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Tess & Ayden Gaeng
We sat down with Tess Gaeng, a recent “graduate” of our Dennis & Judy Jones Family Foundation Foster Care & Adoption Program, and mom to four-year-old Ayden. Why did you decide to foster? I always knew I wanted to be a parent, but I wasn’t sure that biological children was the way that would happen. [...]
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Maliek #30Years30Stories
Maliek was hospitalized after a terrible beating by his father. Lost to addiction, his mother was unable to care for him. 30 Days to Family® found that his maternal grandma wanted him. As a refugee from the Rwandan genocide, however, she didn’t have a good grasp of English. Family Court said that because grandma couldn’t […]
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Jason
With his awesome sense of humor, Jason is a lot of fun to be around! An affectionate and friendly kid, Jason is a great conversationalist with an engaging personality. He is super enthusiastic and is always eager to help others. He takes pride in his strengths, and says he is loyal, creative, and puts others [...]
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Our Story
“What began as a handful of reform-minded dreamers is now a cutting-edge leader in policy and practice. 30 years in, our groundbreaking and data-driven work has created dramatic change in the lives of our region’s most vulnerable children.” In the late 1980s and early 90s, the United States was gripped by a drug epidemic. Cheap, […]
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Lindsay
16-year-old Lindsay is bubbly, witty, and comical. In her spare time, you’ll find her drawing, reading, playing the guitar, and shredding on her skateboard. Lindsay says she is most proud of her musical abilities and her resilience in overcoming life’s obstacles. Lindsay is a sophomore in high school and says math and science are her [...]
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Joseph
Joseph is an active and engaging 16 year old young man who has a huge heart! Joseph’s creativity is a great strength of his and often leads to masterpieces made with Legos. Like your typical teenage boy, Joseph also really enjoys playing video games, especially car racing games. Sometimes he also likes to relax and [...]
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Damon
Damon is a sweet and loving twelve year old boy who loves books and reading. Those who know Damon describe him as an incredibly sociable and charismatic child, noting that everyone who meets Damon falls in love with him. Damon enjoys watching CNN and the News; he especially likes to be informed about the weather. [...]
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The Holidays in Foster Care: Why Things Might Get Rough
During the holidays, we are inundated with messages from a number of sources (movies, music, TV, social media, commercials) about how we should be feeling joyful, happy, and thankful. Surrounded by loving (and attractive) family, laughter, fancy food served at perfectly set tables and loads of expensive gifts, these images rarely reflect the truth for […]
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Brandon
Brandon is an active, kind, and friendly young man. This 13-year-old is a pleasure to be with and his smile will light up any room! By others, Brandon is described as talkative, social, and inquisitive. He describes himself as smart and funny; saying he likes to humor others with his jokes and stories. When he’s [...]
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Colton
Colton has great big brown eyes and a smile that will light up a room! This 5-year-old cutie is naturally happy, curious, and loving to the people in his life. He is easy to smile, giggle, and make eye contact to show his preference and affection for those closest to him. His favorite things are being [...]
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Serenity
Serenity is a beautiful 15 year old who is ready for a family! She is a happy child, who likes to sing and dance. Serenity loves all things girly. She enjoys doing her makeup, getting her hair and nails done, and anything regarding fashion. Serenity is very bright. She does well in school overall but [...]
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Levelle
Being funny, kind, and a good listener are just a few of the many great things about 11-year-old Levelle! Building Legos or hunting for bugs quickly captures his attention, and he also likes playing video games. For a special treat, Levelle loves trips to Six Flags or adventuring to new places and discovering all they [...]
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Edward
Edward, a charming 14 year old, has the sweetest smile and kindest heart. Edward’s favorite things include basketball, video games, and basketball-involved video games! (Do you see a trend here?) He also likes football, Call of Duty, and surprising others with his acrobatic talents. For example, Edward taught himself to do front flips, back flips, [...]
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Elias
Elias is a handsome 14 year old who has a special talent for drawing. He is a freshman this year and he recently joined Art Club and Card club at school. His preferred subject at school is Science. When he first meets someone he can be very shy, but is engaging once he warms up. [...]
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Kejuan
Kejuan is a 15-year-old young man who loves sports. He enjoys watching and playing any type of sport, but specifically has a strong love for basketball. He could tell you anything you’d want to know about it and lights up when discussing his favorite teams, players, and their performance statistics. Kejuan is in the 10th grade [...]
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