Amber Knowles, Author at The Riverside Project Page 3 of 4

Jenni Lord is a resolute advocate for fostering family healing through the power of genuine connection. In 2008, she established Chosen, a trailblazing nonprofit dedicated to nurturing children’s recovery from trauma by empowering their families.

Jesse Booher is the Senior Vice President and Chief Operations Officer of DePelchin Children’s Center, which provides foster care and adoption services in Texas communities.

Every week, we get to see people invest their time, energy, resources, and care all along the River. They give of themselves. They care deeply. They show up again and again.

It all started with a simple napkin exercise. Chandler James was asked to write his dream on a napkin. Initially, it seemed like a silly exercise but when he was finished his napkin read: creating safe spaces for the next generation.

Every week, we get to see people invest their time, energy, resources, and care all along the River. They give of themselves. They care deeply. They show up again and again.

Former foster youth face many challenges when it comes to education and just 4% of them will go on to obtain a four-year college degree. As a former foster youth herself, Dr. Danisha Keating shares the challenges she faced, her struggle to overcome trauma, and what we can do to support former foster youth today.

If you are currently a foster parent or are considering pursuing this role, here are 8 vital reminders to keep close to your heart as you navigate this journey…

We’re really glad to have Krista Kesseler here to shed some like on the topic of serving youth through international foster care. Krista is the Community Outreach Specialist for the St. Jerome Emiliani Foster Care Program.

We each have a role to play and should not be doing the same thing. This is why it is important to take the next step to find your place (or places) along the River, assessing your unique skills, talents, passion, and resources.

In this episode, Jennifer Clifford shares her journey becoming a foster parent and the lessons she learned, the realities of reunification, and how they transitioned to becoming adoptive parents.