About one-third of foster kids aging out of the system will live their adult lives at or below the poverty level. It's one of many staggering statistics. But one local couple is trying to change those numbers by building a place of hope and transtition. A place where young women coming out of foster care can have a fair chance at beating the odds.
It's still a work in progress, but in just a couple of months, the old convent at 1229 West Poplar in Rogers will once again become a place of hope and restoration. It will be called "Saving Grace", A transition home for women aging out of foster care. A place that's a dream come true for the center's Executive Director Becky Schaffer.
"I was taken away from my mother. She was, she is disturbed and just violently abusive to me and so I was taken away from her and sent to a children's home," saod Schaffer.
And like so many other children in foster care, when Becky turned 18, she was left to fend for herself.
"It was hard at first because I was in survival mode. I was just simply trying to find my place in the world, and not having that support has been a burden on my heart for a lot of years for these kids that are aging out," said Schaffer.
Luckily, Becky made some good choices on her own. She went to college, met and married her husband Kent, and the two have been foster parents for the last 18 years.
"At one point we had thirteen. I brought home a baby and she was my thirteenth one and I was 25," said Schaffer.
But Becky and Trent wanted to do more.
"The need was a safe place to transition into their adulthood and that's what we hope to give them here...We want them to be restored and be whole before they get out there and step out on their own," said Schaffer.
18-year-old Amanda Ferguson is an example of what a safe place can do for a young woman. Her mother was on drugs. Her father put her in the children's home when she was in middle school. The Schaffer's showed her a new way of life.
"I found out you know there is a different way to live....They showed me consistency, the stability and actually told me that I could succeed that I wasn't just somebody," said Ferguson.
And now Amanda is thriving.
"I'm going to JBU in the fall. I'm studying mechanical engineering."
The Schaffer's hope "Saving Grace" will help other women get to where Amanda is today.
"These are our babies and they're growing up and they're the future of our nation and they're going right back into the hole that they came out of. And that's not okay. And that's why we want to do this. We want to give them a hope, a future. We want to help them understand they are loved," said Schaffer.
"Saving Grace" is scheduled to open September 1st, and Becky says they are not limiting their criteria just to women coming out of foster care. They will take in any young woman struggling to make it on her own. The center will offer guidance in all areas, including career and education. "Saving Grace" will provide safe, affordable housing where residents will become prepared for interdependent living.
To make "Saving Grace" a success, they need help from the community through donations and volunteerism. Below is a list of needs:
Laundry Area:
It's still a work in progress, but in just a couple of months, the old convent at 1229 West Poplar in Rogers will once again become a place of hope and restoration. It will be called "Saving Grace", A transition home for women aging out of foster care. A place that's a dream come true for the center's Executive Director Becky Schaffer.
"I was taken away from my mother. She was, she is disturbed and just violently abusive to me and so I was taken away from her and sent to a children's home," saod Schaffer.
And like so many other children in foster care, when Becky turned 18, she was left to fend for herself.
"It was hard at first because I was in survival mode. I was just simply trying to find my place in the world, and not having that support has been a burden on my heart for a lot of years for these kids that are aging out," said Schaffer.
Luckily, Becky made some good choices on her own. She went to college, met and married her husband Kent, and the two have been foster parents for the last 18 years.
"At one point we had thirteen. I brought home a baby and she was my thirteenth one and I was 25," said Schaffer.
But Becky and Trent wanted to do more.
"The need was a safe place to transition into their adulthood and that's what we hope to give them here...We want them to be restored and be whole before they get out there and step out on their own," said Schaffer.
18-year-old Amanda Ferguson is an example of what a safe place can do for a young woman. Her mother was on drugs. Her father put her in the children's home when she was in middle school. The Schaffer's showed her a new way of life.
"I found out you know there is a different way to live....They showed me consistency, the stability and actually told me that I could succeed that I wasn't just somebody," said Ferguson.
And now Amanda is thriving.
"I'm going to JBU in the fall. I'm studying mechanical engineering."
The Schaffer's hope "Saving Grace" will help other women get to where Amanda is today.
"These are our babies and they're growing up and they're the future of our nation and they're going right back into the hole that they came out of. And that's not okay. And that's why we want to do this. We want to give them a hope, a future. We want to help them understand they are loved," said Schaffer.
"Saving Grace" is scheduled to open September 1st, and Becky says they are not limiting their criteria just to women coming out of foster care. They will take in any young woman struggling to make it on her own. The center will offer guidance in all areas, including career and education. "Saving Grace" will provide safe, affordable housing where residents will become prepared for interdependent living.
To make "Saving Grace" a success, they need help from the community through donations and volunteerism. Below is a list of needs:
Laundry Area:
- Washer and Dryer
