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Do You Remember These?

By Nicki Sanders | Sep 20, 2012 | Comments Off on Do You Remember These?

THANK YOU for supporting The Teen Toolbox and for reading our blog.  Through our Packaged For Success™ programs, we utilize youth portfolio development, academic empowerment, and civic engagement to help youth set goals for life after high school and create a road map to reach those goals. We are also strongly committed to supporting youth […]

Foster and Adoptive Parents Rock

By Nicki Sanders | Sep 18, 2012 | Comments Off on Foster and Adoptive Parents Rock

As I Grow ~ Author Unknown   As I grow, please understand that I am growing up and changing very fast.  It must be difficult to keep pace with me, but please try.   As I grow, listen to me and give me brief, clear answers to my questions.  Then I will keep sharing my […]

Protect Foster Youth From Identity Theft

By Nicki Sanders | Sep 13, 2012 | Comments Off on Protect Foster Youth From Identity Theft

The predicted outcomes of youth who age out of foster care are grim – homelessness, unemployment, incarceration, unintended pregnancy, and low educational attainment.  The high incidences of these social ills within this population are most often associated with a lack of stability and healthy, permanent relationships or not acquiring essential life skills before being thrown […]

America, The Beautiful

By Nicki Sanders | Sep 11, 2012 | Comments Off on America, The Beautiful

America, The Beautiful (by Katharine Lee Bates – 1913)   *Today we honor the victims and families of the September 11th attacks.*   O beautiful for spacious skies, For amber waves of grain, For purple mountain majesties Above the fruited plain! America! America! God shed His grace on thee, And crown thy good with brotherhood From […]

Deserving Of A Permanent Home

By Nicki Sanders | Sep 6, 2012 | Comments Off on Deserving Of A Permanent Home

While eating fruit with my lunch today I realized that my dream home includes an apple tree and a grape vine.  My apple tree insight brought to mind one of my favorite movies of all time – Baby Boom.   In 1987, Diane Keaton played a driven career woman working in a Manhattan marketing/advertising agency.  She […]

Open For Business

By Nicki Sanders | Sep 4, 2012 | Comments Off on Open For Business

THE TEEN TOOLBOX promotes youth portfolio development, academic enrichment, and civic engagement to help youth set goals for life after high school and develop a plan to reach those goals.   PORTFOLIO DEVELOPMENT Packaged For Success™ Portfolio Development Program helps youth put their best foot forward. During our one day professional portfolio development seminar, young people […]

Support System For Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

By Nicki Sanders | Aug 30, 2012 | Comments Off on Support System For Youth Aging Out of Foster Care

An estimated 20,000-25,000 young people age out of the foster care system each year, many without family or economic support.  Research shows that the transition to adulthood is difficult for many former foster youth.  When they age out of the foster care system, they’re more likely than their peers to end up in homeless, in jail, […]

Every Child In Foster Care Is Somebody’s Child

By Nicki Sanders | Aug 28, 2012 | Comments Off on Every Child In Foster Care Is Somebody’s Child

I’m on a quest to eliminate my weekends from my extended work week and make them real weekends filled with relaxation and enjoyment.  In my efforts to rejuvenate, I spent time watching my new favorite TV channel – GMC.   This weekend was the premiere of the GMC original movie “Somebody’s Child”.  This was a touching […]

Every Mom’s Test (poem)

By Nicki Sanders | Aug 23, 2012 | Comments Off on Every Mom’s Test (poem)

Every Mom’s Test © Nandita Shailesh Shanbhag (Permission to reprint requested from Family Friendly Poems) You are special; you mean the world to me You are my daughter, a reflection of my entity Every year, as I watch you grow by my side No matter what you do, you are my source of pride The […]