Book On SALE Now!
Everybody Needs Someone, The Aging out of Foster Care Project Book is nearly sold out. Order your copy today and help us afford a second run! You can order our book through paypal by selecting the Buy Now button below. The book is 94 pages, 9″x12″. Funds raised through the sale of the book will [...]
Brittny Updates & House Hunting
A few weeks ago we asked you to help us raise money for Brittny Boden, a 24 year old we profiled in our Aging out of Foster Care project. Brittny was in danger of becoming homeless when the rent on her subsidized apartment went up past market value. You came through for her, pitching in [...]
Action: Brittny needs your help
Christmas is a time when most people think of getting together with family at home. But this Christmas Brittny Boden, a 24 year old we profiled in our Aging out of Foster Care project, is facing eviction from her low-income housing complex, and has neither family nor friends to turn to right now to help her.
Our goal is to raise $1734 by December 12th, 2012 (we’ve raised $655 so far, $1079 to go!)
Event: SalaamGarage at Apple Store SoHo NYC Nov. 19
NOVEMBER 19: APA/NY Apple Lecture Maggie Soladay presents SalaamGarage Shoot Photos, Cause Change Monday, November 19, 2012 7pm-8pm SoHo Apple Store (103 Prince St) Free Admission (seating is limited) *no advance registration is required SalaamGarageNYC chapter chief, producer and photography editor Maggie Soladay will be speaking about how to make positive social change happen [...]
A Family Found: Elijah’s Story
Not every foster child finds a family. The forgotten ones grow up alone in the faceless embrace of bureaucracy. Waiting and wishing, like runts in a litter of kittens staring hopelessly out of an emptying box. Elijah Callender is one of those people. Like the others, the state covered his eyes and clutched him tightly until his 21st birthday. Then it dropped him.
Purpose and Faith Give Krista Strength
Story by Mollie Neal Photography by Heather Walsh Krista spends her working hours tending to a woman with dementia in an assisted living facility. Like so many health-care aides, she is a nurturing soul. Some would call it ironic that this is her job. She spent most of her childhood being shuttled from one foster [...]
Failing Is Not an Option: Richard’s Story
Story by Jim Sewastynowicz and Patricia Paine Photos by Jim Sewastynowicz Richard Wilkerson has no regrets about growing up in the foster care system. In fact, he believes that his experience as a teenager in various group homes has given him a powerful gift—one of understanding and connecting with people who also have hardships to overcome. [...]
With Foster Care Just a Memory, Nefertiti Pursues Her Destiny
Photography by Amelia Coffaro Story by Vanessa Arriola Wide-eyed and smiling, 24-year-old Nefertiti is anxiously awaiting news from the Borough of Manhattan Community College. “I won’t hear back until March or April,” she says, struggling at times to get out the words, “but I can’t wait that long.” Nefertiti dreams of being a social worker [...]
Teddie’s Transience
Story and Photography by Moya McAllister Teddie is a 21 year old trans-gender youth with arresting, long-lashed sherry-brown eyes. Soft-spoken, with a nervous laugh, he favors illustrated cartoon-and-grafitti-style caps and clothes that blend into the area of Chelsea where we decide to meet. Kicked out of his mother’s home at the age of 14 by [...]
Brittny keeps getting back up
Photos and Video by William Vazquez Aging out of Foster Care, Brittny’s Story from William Vazquez on Vimeo. Brittny’s mother and father were unable to care for her and she passed back and forth between her parents and grandparents. It was her grand parents that finally put her into foster care. While in foster care [...]
Earning A College Degree is an Elusive Dream for Most Former Foster Youth: Renald’s Story
Story by Mollie Neal Photography by Heather Walsh Renald is a quiet, soft-spoken 22-year-old living in his first apartment and attending college. Adjusting to independence and adult responsibilities can be challenging for any young person, especially if there is no immediate family or mentor to turn to for guidance and support. Renald had a traditional [...]
The Key to Independence: Dmitriy’s Story
Story by Mollie Neal Photography by Heather Walsh At 21, Dmitriy aged out of the foster care system on Long Island. While many young adults in the same situation are uneducated, unemployed and homeless, he has a high school diploma, a full-time job and an apartment to call home. Dmitriy‘s life has been fraught with [...]
Sky’s the Limit: Andre’s Story
Story by Patricia Paine Photos by Matthew Furman Andre Carter is a friendly 21-year-old who masks his difficult upbringing with an offhand snicker. The details are foggy as he recounts his start in the foster care program. As early as Andre remembers, his father was responsible for him and his two younger brothers. But since [...]
History Does Not Repeat: Aquarianne’s Story
Story by Amy Sernatinger Photos by Yvonne Allaway Aquarianne is expecting me, so before I have the chance to knock, she opens the door with wide eyes and a broad smile. The radio is playing from inside, sweeping music across the floors and ceilings. A small child pops out from behind her mother’s leg. If [...]
A Family to Call Her Own: Shirley’s Story
Story by Amy Kolz Photography by Alejandra Villa Shirley Newman is a consistent mother. A former foster child, the 29-year-old mother keeps her three children on a rigid daily schedule: school, snack time, homework, dinner and bath. Most importantly, Shirley’s children, ranging from ages four to eleven, can count on her constant presence. “I’m the [...]
Never Look Back: Brandon’s Story
Photography By Robert Hooman Story by Brandon Kolin as told to Dimitra Kessenides “God doesn’t give you anything that you can’t handle,” says Brandon Kolin, 27, a Brooklyn, New York-based dental surgery technician who wound up in foster care at age 8. “There’s something in every situation that you have to latch on to, whether [...]
Family Man Alex
Story by Shannon Green Photography by Jordan Hollender WHICH IS IT TWO Alex Lonzot is a family man. Nothing is more important to the 23-year-old than his wife Caroline and their 1-year-old baby girl, Harmony Marie Lonzot. The former foster kid wants to give his daughter the kind of secure and carefree childhood he wasn’t [...]
Stepping Stones to Independence, Fekri’s Journey
Story By Tommy Hallissey Photography by Bruce Byers Fekri from Bruce Byers on Vimeo. Without a word, Fekri’s disarming, toothy smile betrays the suffering he endured coming of age in the New York City foster care system. Those crooked pearly whites hide the agony of being sold into slavery in Tunisia at the age of [...]
Linda's Story, Aging Out of Foster Care in NYC
Story by Carrie Vining Spanier Photos by Ian Spanier Upon meeting Linda J., I was immediately struck by her confidence and overall presence. We spoke as if she had known me for years. She shared as if I were her confidant. Twenty one-year-old Linda, was thrust into the foster care system at the tender age [...]
