FormerOrphan/FosterChildrenSupportGroup

Announcements

	Date: 7/7/2000	Announced by: billrbill
	Announcement: Remembering and dedication to: New Hampshire Representative Mildred Ingram Representative Ingram gave her time and effort to better the lives of foster children in New Hampshire for many years. Her work in the legislature is remembered. She helped the New Hampshire Association of Former Foster Children develop ways to bring issues to the legislators. She led and taught us how to continue to bring forth issues as they arise. Her exhausted effort helping foster children has brought change to the system and this is why this site is dedicated to her. . Thank you Mildred Ingram thank you from us all, William J. Ritchotte Sr.

	Date: 10/28/2002	Announced by: JUDIE
	Announcement: HI I AM A DOCTORAL STUDENT AT NEW YORK UNIVERSITY IN NEW YORK CITY. SINCE FOSTER CARE IS A SUBJECT NEAR TO MY HEART, I DECIDED TO DO MY DISSERTATION ON RESILIENCE IN GRADUATES OF LONG TERM FOSTER CARE. I AM PRESENTLY SEEKING PEOPLE WHO WOULD LIKE TO BE A PART OF THE STUDY. IF YOU ARE INTERESTED PLEASE CONTACT ME AT EITHER MY E MIAL jakullian@mindspring.com OR CALL ME COLLECT AT 212 64-4531. EVEN IF YOU ARE NOT INTERESTED IN BEING A PART OF THE STUDY PLEASE FEEL FREE TO WRITE TO ME. I'D LOVE TO HEAR FROM ALL OF YOU. THOSE PEOPLE NEAREST TO NEW YORK CITY WOULD BE MOST HELPFUL TO BE IN THE STUDY. THANKS SO MUCH JUDIE

	Date: 1/10/2004	Announced by: FallingHeart7
	Announcement: PROTEST - SAVE YOUR CHILDREN I would like to invite you all to join our nation wide protest to stop CPS from destroying families! We are currently gathering people from every state to coordinate a protest in their area! If you would like more information about this project you can contact me using one of the following methods: http://groups.msn.com/HelpforParentsandChildren/ andykay96@hotmail.com aoliver@arkansas.net Phone (479) 857-2128 Fax (479) 331-3750

	Date: 2/11/2002	Announced by: Angelic
	Announcement: Recently a bill in was passed in California to outline a foster youth's rights. Their rights are: 1. To live in a safe, healthy, and comfortable home where he or she is treated with respect. 2. To be free from physical, sexual, emotional, or any other abuse or corporal punishment. 3. To receive adequate and healthy food, adequate clothing and for youth in group homes, an allowence. 4. To receive medical, dental, vision and mental hea1lth services. 5. To be free of the adminstration of medication or chemical substances, unless authorized by a phyisician. 6. to contact family members, unless prohibited by court order, and social workers, attorneys, foster youth advocates and supporters, Court Appointed Special Advocaes (CASA), and probation officers. 7. To visit and contact brothers and sisters, unless prohibited by court order. 8. To contact the community care licencing division of the ddepartment of socail services or the state foster care ombudsperson regarding violations of rights, to spak to representives of the soffices confidentially and to be free from threats or punishments for makig complaints. 9. To make and receive confidential telephone calls and send and receive unopened mail, unless prohibited by court order, 10. To attend religious services and activities of his or her choice. 11. To maintain an emancipation bank account and to manage personal income, consistent with the child's age and developmental level, unless prhibited by the case plan. 12. To not be locked in any room, building, or facility premises, unless placed in a community treatment facility. 13. To attend school and participate in extracurricular, cultural and personal enrichment activities, consistant with the childs age and developmental level. 14. To work and develop job skills at an age-appropriate level that is consistent with state law. 15. to have social contacts with people outside of the foster care system, such as teachers, church members, mentors and friends. 16. To attend Independent Living Program classes and activites of he or she meets the age requirements. 17.To atend court hearings and speak to the judge. 18. To have storage space for private use. 19. To review his or her own case plan if he or she is over 12 years of age and to receive information about his or her out-of-home placemnt and case plan, including being told of changes to the plan. 20. To be free mrom unreasonable searches of personal belongings. 21. To confidentiality of all juvenile court records consistent with existing law. California Assembly Bill AB 899 There is more to this. If you want more information, please contact me by leaving a message. Jeni

Date: 4/27/2006

Announced by:

SonyaTonks

Announcement:

I am a former foster child who "aged out" of the system. I want to connect with other foster and former foster children. I am doing research for a book. I want to find a way to tell as many stories of foster care as you are willing... I will not use anyone's story without them emailing me individually and requesting to be included in the book. I think it is time for the population at large to realize what we have been through. Dave Pelzer has paved the way and opened the doors. If you feel your writing skills are rudimentary or rough... I can edit, proofread, and develop the essays to make them publishable. My ultimate goal in doing this book is to make it possible for many former foster children to own their own homes. The one thing I know many of us desire more than anything else. A home of our own. I intend to write and publish several other books including some for children to help them to deal with the experience of being in foster care and to enable them to recover from the experience as well. I will tell my STORIES as well. My first placement was in first grade. I had at least 7 official placements and 4-5 different unofficial placements... in total I lived in 20 different homes/placements from kindergarten to the end of high school. I am trying to get started on forming a non-profit to benefit from the proceeds of the books. I have written a Foundation that is helping former foster kids nationwide to buy their own homes to obtain their help in setting this up. I want one of the books that will be directed toward children in their first days of placement to someday be given to every foster child in the country... although I have often hoped to see the numbers that would mean decrease... I know that isn't reality. I hope to give them reassurance and solace and comfort in what I know is a time of great emotional turmoil and fear. I want to raise awareness nationwide. If you want to be a contributor to this compilation... Write to me directly at my email account. Tell whatever part of your story you want. Abuse at home, fear at being taken away, unhappy placements, happiness at birth home, injustice of being taken, abuse in the system, mistreatment by others who discriminate against foster kids, reunions with birth or foster families, successful and unsuccessful adoptions, deaths in the system, CASA volunteers, Guardians ad litem.... anything you remember that matters to you. I want to have stories from all walks of experience in the system. If you know a person who is "out of the loop"... homeless or failing or struggling whose story might not otherwise be told... talk to them and send me their story too. I want to include pictures with each essay submission so please if you have pictures of you from childhood with birth or foster families or of you now... please include these. I would also like to be able to include at least a couple sentences about what you are doing now and a picture from today. You can not know how thankful I will be and how many lives we may be able to touch. Thank you. Please feel free to write me anytime. sonyatonks@hotmail.com

	Date: 8/10/2000	Announced by: billrbill
	Announcement: See this site as it will carry former foster children stories. Also other information http://communities.msn.com/FormerFosterChildrenStories

	Date: 1/2/2003	Announced by: TyII
	Announcement: I am a former foster child and a public speaker. I speak at conferences, workshops, seminars or whatever the need may be. I speak about my life growing up in the foster care system. I have a brochure available I can email as requested. If you or if you know of any organization/agency needing a motivational speaker for an upcoming conference, please email me at jazzytyii@hotmail.com. Thank you for your time and consideration.