Organizational Development

#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 […]

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

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

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

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

A woman’s purse symbolizes her pride, personality, and purpose.  A purse can also be a status symbol.  A study of 2000 women in the United Kingdom by Special K Mini Breaks found that the average woman has 7 handbags.  According to the UK poll, women are emotionally tied to their handbags.  Sixteen percent of the

Are you following the lives of Kim Kardashian, Rihanna, Pipa Middleton, Drake (congrats to him for earning his GED this month), Usher, or Justin Timerlake?  New pregnancies, hot couples, divorces, altercations, arrests, CD releases — sometimes the title of pop culture critic fits me very well.  Other times I wish I could make the celebrity

The Teen Toolbox is on a mission to raise awareness about the needs and potential of youth in transition from foster care and work to counteract negative statistics and stories by showcasing the talent and determination in young people.  We invite you to nominate a teen for our “SPOTLIGHT Teen of the Month” feature which

This weekend I had to pleasure of attending a book signing for “Who Would Have Thunk It: The First Adventures of the Fraser Foster Kids” with George Fraser and his sister Emma Fraser-Pendleton.  The eleven Fraser children were placed  in foster care after their mother’s mental illness surfaced and their father could no longer care for

Are you guilty of asking the teens in your life “What do you want to be when you grow up”?  Of course you are.  Think about how many times you heard the standard response of “I don’t know”?  I’m guilty as well.  But I’ve wised up.  I have now resigned myself to asking “who are