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Packaged For Success Wins

By Nicki Sanders | Apr 23, 2013 | 0 Comments

Consider these two scenarios then ask yourself which candidate you would choose.   Two high school sophomores apply for their first job at the new grocery store in their neighborhood.  Amy arrives for her interview with a copy of her resume in a 2 pocket folder and a couple pieces of loose leaf notebook paper […]

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Abused and Neglected While In Foster Care?

By Nicki Sanders | Apr 22, 2013 | 0 Comments

April is National Child Abuse Prevention Month.  These thirty days are dedicated to raising awareness about the horrors of child abuse and neglect and taking the opportunity to encourage communities to support children and families.    The foster care system was created as a safety net for children who cannot live with their families for […]

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Become An Ambassador: National Volunteer Week 2013

By Nicki Sanders | Apr 21, 2013 | 0 Comments

National Volunteer Week begins today.  National Volunteer Week 2013 is celebrated April 21-27.  It is about inspiring, recognizing and encouraging people to seek out imaginative ways to engage in their communities. It’s about demonstrating to the nation that by working together, we have the fortitude to meet our challenges and accomplish our goals.   National Volunteer […]

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Interdependence and Foster Care

By Nicki Sanders | Apr 20, 2013 | 0 Comments

After suffering through broken or non-existent family relationships, we encourage teens in foster care to strive for “independence” and “self-sufficiency”.  We put them in independent living programs and teach independent living skills yet none of us can be completely self-sufficient or independent.  Everyone needs a support system. Our focus should be to help foster teens […]

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Meet Nicki at NEYLS on May 4th

By Nicki Sanders | Apr 19, 2013 | 0 Comments

Join Nicki Sanders and The Teen Toolbox at the National Executive Youth Leadership Summit (NEYLS) on May 4, 2013.    The NEYLS is held annually on the first Saturday of May in Washington, D.C. on Capitol Hill.  The summit is generously sponsored by various Members of Congress and hosted by Friends of Chonya Johnson, who are […]

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Quality Education: A Permanency Goal

By Nicki Sanders | Apr 18, 2013 | 0 Comments

Each Thursday in April our blog posts will focus on the theme “Throw-Back Thursday” and I will share past blog posts with you.    Today’s Throw-Back Thursday theme is academic enrichment.   Education is as integral part of the solution to achieve better long-term outcomes for youth in foster care.  Foster youth deserve access to […]

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A Portfolio Is Not A Life Book

By Nicki Sanders | Apr 17, 2013 | 0 Comments

A professional portfolio and a foster care life book are not the same.   Both a professional portfolio and a foster care can help teens increase self-awareness and self-confidence. Both a professional portfolio and a foster care life book document a teen’s history, celebrate their achievements, and allow them to highlight their skills and abilities. Both […]

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Resilience Is Essential In Foster Care

By Nicki Sanders | Apr 16, 2013 | 0 Comments

Resiliency = the ability to cope with, adapt to, and overcome challenges   We do not live in a perfect world.  Life will always have challenges, some of which are unavoidable.  We overcome life’s obstacles by remaining open, flexible, and willing to adapt to change.   Teens in foster care very often have encountered more […]

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Keep Siblings Together In Foster Care

By Nicki Sanders | Apr 15, 2013 | 0 Comments

I was unaware that April 10th was Siblings Day.  I did not know that the Siblings Day Foundation believes that establishing Siblings Day will benefit of families, communities and the nation just like Mother’s Day and Father’s Day.  This new knowledge got me to thinking…thinking about siblings separated by foster care.    According to the […]

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