Below is a story describing the importance of a Life Book, one of our many programs at A Family For Every Child:
“18-year-old set to graduate next month after 16 years in Arizona’s CPS foster system”
By Mary K. Reinhart
The Arizona Republic
Yvette Winsor is just about to graduate from high school after 16 years in the foster care system and at least 18 different placements. Her main source of self-history and foster history is from her Life Book. She has been through one failed adoption, one near-adoption, two guardians, several shelters, group homes, and several foster parents and siblings. Some research shows that for every new foster placement, a child has potential to fall a semester behind. By these statistics, Yvette should probably not be graduating this year, showing her perseverance and dedication to herself.
“Now a poised, articulate young woman just weeks away from high-school graduation, she says telling her story is a way of coming to terms with things, moving forward and helping others to see life through a foster child’s eyes.”
She has had her Life Book since birth and it provides her with many memories from her foster care adventures, from pets to favorite childhood books to other foster siblings. The Life Books provide a personal history for the children, reminding them that they had some good times during their childhood. This helps to create a positive self-image and easily explains the whole foster process to the child.
The author notes just how impressive it is that Yvette is going to graduate this spring and congratulates her on all of her effort. Her success comes from finding little victories and embracing them. Her purple Life Book provides her with pictures from the times she does not remember, helping to make her smile when she looks back on her life, reminding her that she is a great individual with her own rich, personal history.
This story provides an excellent example of just how useful and important these Life Books are to the children. Thank you to all of those who have helped with this wonderful Life Book program.
“Image courtesy of {graur razvan ionut}/FreeDigitalPhotos.net”
