Youth Villages hosted a drive-thru parade Saturday afternoon. The parade was held in observance of National Adoption Awareness Month.
Foster Care Articles
This is Our Calling
Andy and Debbie Watts have fostered children for years, both together as a married couple and before they were married.
Family Focus: Tipton County family raises awareness about adoption
There are more than 415,000 children in the United States in the foster care system and nearly 8,000 of those children live in Tennessee.
Four generations of adopting
The Jewett-Winter family has a long history of adoption. Pam herself was adopted by her parents, and her mom also was adopted.
Learning to be Patient – Neal Family
For Middle Tennessee-based Jaywanna Neal, fostering is second nature. Growing up, her mom opened her home to foster children.
November is Adoption Awareness Month
Foster Care Training and Recruiting Supervisor Jessie Bernardini in Chattanooga was a featured guest on Good Morning Chattanooga this morning promoting adoption awareness month.
Job Prep Workshop Helps Young Adults Prepare for Successful Future
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.
She will ‘age out’ of foster care in two months. Her hope: That lawmakers will make sure young people like her aren’t pushed out during the pandemic.
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.
Nashville Film Festival
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.
Through LifeSet and LifeSet Scholars, Zoe builds his future
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.