Organizational Development

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

A few years ago I was delivering a workshop to a large group of young ladies in high school.  The topic was “Empowering Ladies In the 21st Century”.  I asked the group who some of their female role models were and a very spirited young lady answered Keyshia Cole.  At that time, Keyshia Cole‘s reality TV

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

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,