The Jewett-Winter family has a long history of adoption. Pam herself was adopted by her parents, and her mom also was adopted.
![Four generations of adopting](https://youthvillages.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/500_img-5926-3.jpg)
The Jewett-Winter family has a long history of adoption. Pam herself was adopted by her parents, and her mom also was adopted.
For Middle Tennessee-based Jaywanna Neal, fostering is second nature. Growing up, her mom opened her home to foster children.
Foster Care Training and Recruiting Supervisor Jessie Bernardini in Chattanooga was a featured guest on Good Morning Chattanooga this morning promoting adoption awareness month.
Each year, approximately 20,000 young adults across the country turn 18 while in foster care. They are preparing to leave foster care – alone – and statistics tell us that doesn’t usually end well, with many experiencing incarceration, homelessness and unemployment.
Before Deshala Royster ended up in D.C.’s foster care system, decorating her bedroom with vision boards that tell of the life she hopes to create, she spent years taking on adult roles in the life she was handed.
For the fourth year in a row, Youth Villages is partnering with the Nashville Film Festival for the Livin’ Reel project. Livin’ Reel connects local artists with at-risk youth to create an original piece of art. The project will premiere during this year’s virtual festival from October 1-7, 2020.
Young people who turn 18 in foster care are resilient and want to become successful adults. Zoe, entered state custody at 14 years old and moved around a lot before “aging out.”
“I never really unpacked my clothing because I moved so much. I kept it in whatever bag I could find,” he says.
Ary and other LifeSet participants shared their COVID-19 experiences with congressional representatives to advocate for targeted relief for older foster youth during the crisis and its recovery.
Youth Villages is endorsing a bipartisan bill introduced today in the U.S. House of Representatives to provide immediate, targeted relief to children, youth and families significantly impacted by the COVID-19 emergency.
New programs are launching in four jurisdictions across the country to provide comprehensive support to young people turning 18 in foster care – one of the groups hit hardest by the impact of the COVID-19 crisis.