"Will you become a foster parent and help save our kids?", she asked.
I froze. She would not look away. I recall thinking that no matter what I said, I was about to disappoint us both because I knew I was not strong enough to do it. I knew, just like I did with my kids in the classroom, that I would identify too much. I knew it would break me because I would see myself in that child and project upon them all the feelings of rejection and lowered self-worth that I experienced when in the system and I would take it too far - I would make it too important and suffocate them. I would make them my world and that is not the kind of pressure any child needs.
"I can't." I broke the stare of her weathered blue eyes. "I would care too much."
For days I could not sleep. I knew better. I knew the need. I knew I had "arrived" as most people would say as they take stock of their lives and their struggles. My discussion with GOD was that I did not have the capacity, but HE would not let me sleep. "Do what you can, when you can, with all that you have." That tossed around in my head until one night at 3am, I went to the Secretary of State website, and started this organization. I could not do it, but for those that were, I could provide support. I could use my personal experience to advocate for and press upon others the importance and value of foster parents. I could use my comfortable status in life to fund some initiatives and develop marketing; I could use my position of Dean to sit at tables and solicit funds; I could give away the queen bed in the guest room since I never really had any "guests"; I could donate the Christmas tree because my kids were grown; I could call that social worker back and say .... "I'm not ready to be a foster parent, but I am ready to make sure I do whatever I can - for those that are."
SERVICES PROVIDED
Since March 2019, Von's Village has provided FREE Continuous Parent Development (CPD) to foster parents within the state of Georgia to meet state annual training requirements. These trainings occur via Zoom and face to face in five hour increments to minimize the impact on daily life schedules of parents and children. Free daycare, lunch, mentoring, and networking is provided. Typically, states require between 15 to 25 hours, so the five hour increments allow for minimized attendance.
In 2022, our services expanded to include the following:
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After School Tutoring
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Private/Weekend Tutoring
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SAT Writing Preparation
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Girl Power Program
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Speaking Engagements
Well, that's the story. A chance encounter at Panera Bread became a defining moment in my life. And I literally just went there for soup :-)