The caring folks who worked with Wednesday’s Child at the time visited me where I currently lived within a residential program. They found out from my case worker that I loved to scrapbook, brought supplies for me to use, and even let me show off some of my own. It helped me to feel at ease during the interview. Meeting with Liz for my interview was also significant because it was the first time I was ever asked what I would want in a family. Before I had always thought I had to be a certain person to be loved by a family. Wednesday’s Child taught me that not only can I be myself, but that I was worthy of having wants and needs of a family, too.

When I first entered foster care I was already 13 years old, and soon after my goal was changed to getting adopted due to my grandmothers rights being terminated. Teens, sibling groups, and other diverse populations experienced reduced adoption rates in comparison to their peers so my chances of adoption were low enough to make any young adult looking for a forever family nervous. It is a part of Wednesday’s Child mission to help connect older youth to loving homes, which is how I had the opportunity to be a part of the program. It may not seem like much but I consider it to be a large part of my story- at a time where I was so vulnerable, Wednesday’s Child taught me that I am worthy of receiving love despite the odds that were stacked against me.

Flash forward to almost 15 years later and I now serve on the board for Wednesday’s Child. It is so rewarding to give back the love that so many hearts poured into me while I was in care. Foster care is tough to experience no matter how you spin it, but with the help of organizations like this, and the donors that support them, system-affected youth can look forward to a new and brighter future.