Testimonial:
I am so glad that I joined WIN to be a foster parent to help kids in need. I have been a foster parent with WIN for more than 5 years. I have had a great experience with WIN. I have learned so much from the WIN staff as to how to deal with kids that are in the foster care system. Before I became a foster parent I was not sure if this was something for me. I am a mother of 5 children whom I have raised. I currently have in my home a 12 year old foster daughter who has lived with me for 3 1/2 years. I have had a total of 10 kids who have come through my home for respite and short term stay.
I have always had the support I have needed from whatever concerns I have had. What I like mostly about the monthly meeting is when we come together we listen to problems and issues that we are having with our children and there is always input from a staff member or a parent to possibly help with a solution. I have learned so much from these meetings. These meetings have also helped me understand my own kids when they are having issues.
I was really skeptical about becoming a parent at the time, I was not aware that Eva worked for WIN. We attended the same church and I talked to her [about the foster care program]. She gave me the information I needed for the classes and I still had to pray about it because I did not want to bring a child into my home and not be able to provide for his or her needs. Once I got through the classes and submitted all of my required documentation, I still was not sure, but once I got my first child it was smooth sailing. I am glad that I became a foster parent. No, it is not an easy job, but it is a rewarding job with many blessings.”
– Margaret T., Foster Parent
Former Foster Youth Testimonial:
WIN reconnected me with my family. My experience with the WIN Team began when I was about 14 years old. I was a troubled teenager who was going from foster home to foster home to group home and all! I was an emotional wreck, losing my mother at such a young age. I lashed out at everyone. I will never forget Mr. Moore-my big brother, Mrs. Nicole and Ms. Ayo came to greet me and introduced themselves when I first entered WIN Team. I was very standoffish, I really wasn’t ready for a change going through what I have been through, still with the mind frame set that these people don’t really care.
They proved me wrong! I was so defiant. I was so angry, lashing out at the wrong people – those who wanted to help me. They were so nice and pleasant. They let me know I could trust them, which was so hard for me to do. I gave them a run for their money.
What I’m trying to say is, that they worked so hard to change the way I was thinking and how I was feeling. They gave me so much love – not just one of them, ALL of them. I had different counselors, but a few stood out: Mrs. Katrina, Mr. Mark , Ms. Ayo, Mrs. Delvana and Mrs. T who played the role of everyone’s grandmother. These counselors stood by my side with every step I took. With the help of Mr. Al and his wife, I was placed in a wonderful home. They made sure I kept up with my appointments and they took us on various trips. It was so much more than a therapeutic foster home. It was a home with a family who cared and stuck by me when I had my child. They made sure we both were okay and they helped me out with independent living.
They made me the woman I am today and I am so grateful to say they showed and proved the definition of a team. You’re not getting one, you are getting all. To be a part of something so big is wonderful. I had my hard times, but they stood by my side and never left. I can still come home to where I knew it all started. I forever love them and appreciate what Mr. Al created with the help of his Team.”
– Ariel, Former Foster Youth