They moved around so much they could not form close friendships or join teams or clubs in school. They had little control over their lives. They felt as though no one cared about them. More than a dozen have joined an informal speakers panel, formed in 1996. They regularly share their experiences and insights about the foster care system with social workers, lawyers, foster parents, community leaders, and perhaps most importantly, current foster children.
Painful memories fill their stories.
But their experiences also illustrate the effect a loving adult can have on a child' s life. Gino Naranjo entered the foster care system at age 5, after his father died and his mother' s heavy drug use left her unable to care for him. He left the system when he turned 18. In the 13 years in between, he lived in more places than he can remember. Although his two brothers and sister were also in foster care, they rarely lived in the same home.