Riley Borden was 14 and in middle school when the state Department of Children & Families removed her and her younger brother from their father’s home and placed her in the first of what ultimately would be seven foster homes.

It was a hard time, but Riley did not let it deter her from planning a successful future — a future that will include going to college in September, placing her among the fewer than

The reasons are varied, but generally boil down to these five points.

Be a Light:

You’ve gone through hard things and had someone who helped you come out the other side.  Now you want to pay it forward!  The flip side- you went through hard things and wish you’d had someone to guide you.  Now you are going to be the person you wish you’d had!

*Read “The Lighthouse Effect” by Steve Pemberton!

You

Foster care is a huge commitment. 

The approval process alone can take half a year.  It is the embodiment of the old adage “The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.”

Yet many people never take that first step.  Wonderful, stable, emotionally healthy, kind, well-meaning, resilient people remain frozen in place- interested, but unable to bring themselves to hit send on the application.  Other times, they send and when the Homefinder contacts

It is a month to learn more about foster care in our communities, to understand the challenges within the foster care system, understand the challenges faced by families whose children enter foster care, and considering how we can make improvements.

Many folks consider fostering and some apply. We would love you to apply, so if you feel that’s your path forward, let’s chat! However, fostering isn’t a fit for everyone. Worry not, foster friends- there’s

You’ve submitted your application, your background checks have been run, and now a person is coming to your home to begin the assessment process!

This is a huge step in the right direction, but a bit anxiety provoking.  What will this social worker be looking for?  What if there is a problem?  How should you act?

Let’s take a walk through a home inspection visit, Foster Friends.

*Before we get going, please note that

Foster care is born out of tragedy and trauma. A child who enters foster care, whether it is shortly after birth or during the late teen years, has become separated from the familiar.  Many people first think only of the loss of one’s parents and siblings, but as we peel back the layers, we realize that children and youth in foster care suffer a myriad of losses simply by entering care.  Aside from losing immediate

The girls’ long-term foster parent had an emergency and had to go to be with her family.  She did not know how long she would be gone.  The girls, elementary school students, had developed a strong bond with Foster Mama and felt safe with her.  They suddenly felt scared.  Where were they going to go?  Were they going to see her again?  We cobbled together a respite plan and moved them within hours.  It wasn’t

Foster care is a large, complex system.  It is important to remember that individual lives and stories make up foster care.  Please take a moment to hear Jazzlynn's story, one of the many Faces of Foster Care. 

Jazzlynn, or "Jazzy" for short, is 15 years old. She's been in and out of foster care for the majority of her life. She doesn't remember all of the schools she's been to or the names of the

We live a step ahead in foster care (whenever possible- we also fly by the seat of our pants a good deal of the time as plan A yields to plans B, C, D, etc). 

Though it is just November, our eyes are trained on December, a month of so many holidays, celebrations, and gatherings.

This year, we invite you, our Foster Friends of JRI, to set a festive tone for the season.  On December

Tables laden with wares form a rectangle.  At the center, our staff members stand wearing brightly colored, holiday-themed clothing.  Ugly sweaters have found their home here, much to the delight of our young patrons.

Each table has a theme.  Household items here, baby toys there, beauty products on one table, sports memorabilia on another.  Young people start lining up well in advance of the opening.  They clutch their tickets in eager hands and crane their