Nikki J. is an author, speaker, and entrepreneur who “grew up” in the foster care system in Ohio. At a very early age, Nikki J. was caring for herself and her four siblings. The instability and lack of proper adult supervision resulted in the children’s placement in foster care before Nikki J.’s seventh birthday. She […]
Nikki J, Author, Entrepreneur, Foster Care Alumni Read More »
5 Ways The Teen Toolbox Can Serve Your Youth 1) Packaged For Success™ Portfolio Development Program for teens helps teens put their best foot forward! During our one day professional portfolio development seminar, young people discover their strengths, record their achievements, create their own definition of success, and develop goals and action steps. The
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SPOTLIGHT Teen of the Month Shorona L. November 2012 Shorona L. is a twenty year old junior in college in the state of New York. Her hobbies include shopping, spending time with friends and family, and cooking. Despite spending nine years in the foster care system, Shorona has decided to live life to the
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#Fact: The more birthdays a child celebrates in the foster care system, the less likely they are of being adopted. Older children need families too. Foster care statistics according to the AFCARS Report for FY2011 (July 2012): 400,540 in foster care on 9/30/11 252,320 entered foster care during FY2011 104,236 children and youth waiting to
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I admit that it upsets me when Christmas decorations line the store shelves at the same time as Halloween decorations. Commercialization can not only bombard us make us forget the real meaning of the Christmas season, but if we aren’t careful we can forget about Thanksgiving as well. There are very few Thanksgiving movies on
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2012 marks the 6th year for our Annual Pack A Purse Holiday Drive to support teen girls in foster care. Through the generosity of amazing donors, we have collected and donated a total of 951 purses to twenty-five organizations over the past five years. This December we will use our blog as a platform to spread
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What am I afraid to tell you? That’s a loaded question isn’t it? What might a youth in foster care be afraid to tell their biological parent? What might a youth in foster care be afraid to tell their social worker? What might a youth in foster care be afraid to tell
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I get many calls and emails from teens and parents who want or need community service hours. I love those calls because I believe we all have something to contribute and we should share our talents to make the world a better place. The Teen Toolbox sponsors two annual service opportunities to raise awareness about
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Our “SPOTLIGHT Teen of the Month” feature recognizes a teen in foster care that is making a positive impact in their community. This feature allows us to highlight the best in our young people and show that when given support and opportunity, youth can change the world. I created SPOTLIGHT Teen of the Month to eliminate negative
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Today is the day — Election Day 2012. Are you ready to exercise your civic duty today? Maybe you took advantage of early voting in your state like I did. Regardless of your party affiliation or selected presidential candidate I urge you today to let your voice be heard. The ability to vote is a
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