Family is Important

Luke Wood, Former Foster Child-turned University President, Has Made His Sac State Campus a Welcome Place On many afternoons between meetings, you can find Sacramento State University President Luke Wood seated at a piano bench, tapping out a playful jazz melody or stirring rendition of Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” He doesn’t just play for himself. Students […]

Kinship Care

For more than a century, the Children’s Bureau has worked to strengthen the capacity of families to nurture and provide for the well-being of their children. The annual National Foster Care Month, begun in 1988, is an opportunity to call attention to the challenges facing many families, children and youth and the child welfare professionals […]

Communication is KEY in All Families

Every family is unique. Some are loud and boisterous where everyone fights to be heard, while others are low-key and reserved. Each has a unique way of communicating which is an integral part of building both individual self-esteem and healthy relationships. The way we communicate within our families can strengthen both personal and familial relationships […]

It’s Not Your Story

I have many reasons not to ask about why children are removed from their parents’ care. As a resource parent, my primary goals are to respect reunification efforts, the privacy of the parents, and the future of the children. I force myself to limit the amount of information I learn about the parents, especially in […]

An Ordinary Family

Our family is unique in many ways, but then all families are unique in their own individual way. Through biology and adoption, I am the mother of four beautiful human beings. We all have different backgrounds, histories and our own stories to tell. Here’s mine. Our first-born son was 16 weeks premature. Being born so […]

Look Further Than the Surface

A world without foster care may seem like a foreign concept or an overarching thought. But, is it? The very origin of foster care was for poor families to place their children with wealthier families as servants. When we consider this foundation, how does this manifest into a system truly rooted in empowering families? At […]

Fostering Kinship

In 2009, deputies with Georgia’s Harris County sheriff’s office gave Adrian McLemore a choice: take immediate custody of his 3-year-old niece and 1-year-old nephew or they would go into foster care. The then 21-year old college student was warned a social worker was standing by to take the children. As an unlicensed care provider, McLemore […]

Journey to Fatherhood

Single foster dad Kevin Gerdes relies on his faith and friends to get through the tough parenting times. “My church is there for me. I’m a big believer in prayer and the power of prayer,” Gerdes said. His supporters include members of Hollywood’s non-denominational Ecclesia congregation who willingly share parenting advice on everything from nighttime […]

From Pain to Perseverance

In 2012, I, along with my siblings, was separated from my mother and placed in the foster care system. I was about 12 years old, a young pre-teen full of curiosity, imagination and a strong intuition. I vividly remember the last morning where I was in the safety of my mother’s care. She got us […]

‘Moments That Bring Me Joy’

From the moment Eeka McLeod walked into the bustling foster and adoptive home of her cheerleading friends — sisters Analeise and Elizabeth Marchu — in high school, she knew she belonged in a home full of “warm, loving chaos.” The Santa Clara, California, Marchu family includes five biological children and has fostered for decades. McLeod […]