Who Am I?

Hi friends!

I'm starting this blog so that friends and followers can gain a better understanding of who I am and where my heart is in all of this.

In 2019, I began speaking out on social media about my concerns regarding the foster care system. I believed the American people deserved to know what was happening, and I assumed that if they heard the truth, they would rise up with me.

Oh, how naïve I was!

I have come a long way since 2019, and thankfully, so has public awareness.

Recently, I attended a baby shower where a friend I hadn't seen in years asked me, "So, what do you do?"

I answered, "I'm a social worker who worked in the foster care system for five years. After witnessing its failures, I started a nonprofit called Rescue The Fosters to raise awareness and advocate for reform."

She paused and asked again, "So, what do you do?"

I've found that many people ask this question about me. It's difficult to explain myself through social media, where attention spans are short and people often only catch bits and pieces of what I'm sharing. I wanted to create a place where those who truly want to know me, and understand why I became an advocate for foster children and families—can hear the whole story.

The truth is, I've always had a desire to help others.

It's something I learned as a child.

My parents took my four siblings and me on mission trips to Mexico. The poverty we witnessed there was very different from what I had seen in America. Here, most people had homes, running water, electricity, beds, food, and clothing. In the communities we visited, many families lived in homes made of cardboard and lacked even the most basic necessities.

I remember the first time we arrived with trucks full of clothes, bicycles, food, and candy. The children came running, shouting, "Chicle! Chicle!"

I knew that meant gum.

Can you imagine being that excited about a piece of gum?

Those experiences left a lasting impression on me. I remember how rewarding it felt to help people in need. For the first time, I felt a sense of purpose.

Those trips also sparked another passion: travel.

And so, that's what I did.

My first real job was in the travel industry. I was 21 years old when I responded to a newspaper ad that simply said, "Get paid to travel!"

I began working for a travel wholesaler, helping put together vacation packages for travel agents and their clients.

I loved it.

I traveled all over the world. The company operated charter flights to Mexico and the Caribbean, and I was visiting a new destination almost every month.

Life was good.

I worked in the travel industry on and off throughout my twenties and into my thirties.

But for some reason, I wasn't satisfied.

My life lacked purpose.

I wanted a career that empowered people. A career that gave something back to humanity.

At 33 years old, I found myself going through a divorce and searching for a new direction.

Around that time, I looked at my sister's life. She was a foster and adoptive parent, studying social work at the University of Georgia, and working for a foster care placement agency.

One part of the agency operated a group home for girls ages 12 to 18. Another part recruited and supported foster families.

Seeing me struggle during my divorce, my sister encouraged me to mentor some of the girls in the group home.

So I did.

And that decision would begin the next chapter of my life.