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Where Are The Teen Males In Foster Care?

By Nicki Sanders | Mar 21, 2012 | Comments Off on Where Are The Teen Males In Foster Care?

Being removed from your home is always stressful.  Youth in foster care often have few personal belongings and carry the items they do have in trash bags as they are shuffled from place to place.  Very often sheer survival is the ultimate goal.   As a society, we stereotype all teens as difficult, selfish, or […]

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Children Learn What They Live (poem)

By Nicki Sanders | Mar 21, 2012 | Comments Off on Children Learn What They Live (poem)

Related Post: I Told My Daughter She Can Change The World By Dorothy Law Nolte You Might Also Want To Read: I Am Unable to Adopt or Foster, Now What? Nicki Sanders, MSW, Chief Visionary Officer The Teen Toolbox utilizes youth portfolio development and civic engagement and academic empowerment strategies to help teens set goals […]

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Nicki, Have You Been “Packaged For Success™”?

By Nicki Sanders | Mar 20, 2012 | Comments Off on Nicki, Have You Been “Packaged For Success™”?

  Packaged For Success™  is not just a portfolio development program – it is a brand – my lifestyle.  I founded The Teen Toolbox because I am my client.  Through the Packaged For Success Program I deliver the customer service and support that I wanted to receive.  I created programs and workshops that were not […]

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My Playlist Dedicated To Our Youth

By Nicki Sanders | Mar 16, 2012 | Comments Off on My Playlist Dedicated To Our Youth

I LOVE music.  I also love sharing music so today I am dedicating 5 songs to our youth.  (Of course the list could go on but then you would get tired of reading it.)   1. The Greatest Love Of All – Whitney Houston   2. Hero – Mariah Carey    3. Believe – Fantasia […]

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First Annual Pack-A-Backpack Drive™

By Nicki Sanders | Mar 15, 2012 | Comments Off on First Annual Pack-A-Backpack Drive™

Over the last five years that my daughter, JaMai, has organized her Pack-A-Purse Drive™ she has collected, sorted, and delivered a total of 951 purses and toiletries to teenage girls in homeless shelters, group homes, foster homes, and community programs.  The annual Pack-A-Purse Drive was her brainchild – it spoke directly to her life as […]

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Pack A Diaper Bag Too?

By Nicki Sanders | Mar 13, 2012 | Comments Off on Pack A Diaper Bag Too?

If you’re like me, you encounter children in various public places that very loudly express their restlessness, boredom, hunger, or anger.  My running joke is that I’m going to offer a presentation on how to properly pack a diaper bag before you take your child to the doctor’s office, church, mall, auto repair shop and […]

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The Road Trip (poem)

By Nicki Sanders | Mar 10, 2012 | Comments Off on The Road Trip (poem)

This map has a starting point But no set destination The vehicle must navigate unknown territory The road signs are plentiful The speed limit increases Straight ahead a sudden detour The vehicle takes the new road Lovely scenery A more pleasant ride You must choose the destination You are the vehicle The road trip is […]

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Where Did Packaged For Success™ Come From?

By Nicki Sanders | Mar 8, 2012 | Comments Off on Where Did Packaged For Success™ Come From?

Packaged is a common theme in my programs, services, and blog posts — Packaged For Success™, Pack-A-Purse.  Being ready and/or prepared is a common theme in my life.  I think it’s part of my DNA.  I’m drawn to news stories and movies where people survive for days in the wilderness or in a blizzard. I […]

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Women’s History Month and Packaged For Success™

By Nicki Sanders | Mar 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Women’s History Month and Packaged For Success™

March is National Women’s History Month.  Each year National Women’s History Month employs a unifying theme and recognizes national honorees whose work and lives testify to that theme. Women’s Education – Women’s Empowerment is the theme for National Women’s History Month 2012.  The six women who help illustrate how ethnicity, region, culture, and race relate […]

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