The 2000s brought us Facebook, iPods and GPS along with a litany of other technology we continue to use today. It also brought us canceled television shows, discontinued sodas and failed football leagues. But throughout the ever changing landscape of the new millennium, Foster and Adoptive Family Services (FAFS) continued on.
Here are 5 things that came and went in the 2000s while FAFS continued on. Continue reading
We listened to grunge. We wore plaid. We collected Beanie Babies. We loved the ‘90s, and we never wanted them to end – especially since it meant that Y2K was coming!
As we celebrate 40 years of supporting foster, adoptive and kinship families in NJ, we look back through the decades at fads we’ve seen come and go. How many of these fads from the ‘90s do you remember? Continue reading
As a result of being in foster care, I learned to be loved. I learned to be treated with respect and dignity. I also learned mostly what it was like to be part of a non-dysfunctional family. I learned what it was like to be part of a family. I was allowed to be “normal” and to have two wonderful parents who cared. As a former foster child, I still remember my time with my foster parents fondly.
Education was always a priority and I did very well during my time in foster care. My foster parents always pressed upon us that education was important and I carried that with me throughout my life. Even though I didn’t go directly to college after high school I knew I had to get a degree sometime and I did eventually go back and earned an associates degree in Accounting.
Not every foster home is a good home or a good match for the child. It takes a great deal of wisdom to place the right child with the right foster parents. Sometimes you don’t have a choice because you’re a child in the system and the adults have the decision making power over your life. However, when life hands you lemons, you make lemonade is what my foster parents taught me and I’ve carried that throughout my life. Continue reading
Grandparents Raising Grandchildren
I believe there are imaginary threads in everyone’s life, and these threads are connected. If you pull on these threads you will find the answers to why you do the things you do. These threads bind your life together and give meaning to your actions. Often times, these threads are the people who mean the most to you – for me, my grandmother is the reason I work at Foster and Adoptive Family Services (FAFS).
I don’t mean this literally. My grandmother died long before I thought about changing careers from corporate to non-profit. She never advised me on what career to choose, but she is the reason I am here. I’ve come to this realization over the last few years, and, frankly, it came as a shock to me. Continue reading