The Foster Club Outstanding Young Leader program selected truly remarkable nominees in 2010. Check them out!Foster Club

   
WASHINGTON, D.C. –  One hundred young people who have experienced foster care were  
named the 2010 Outstanding Young Leaders in celebration of National Foster Care Month.  
These recipients from all across the U.S. were honored by FosterClub, the national network  
for youth in foster care, for their leadership, accomplishments, educational achievement,  
and community service   
 
 “I feel that it is very important for those who have experienced foster care to fight for the  
needs of present or future youth in care. We are the ones that have seen first‐hand what it is  
like to live in the system, to wake up every morning and not know if we will ever lay our  
heads on that same pillow again,” says Brianna Elliott, a 24‐year‐old Outstanding Young  
Leader from Iowa. “We need to come together as youth and support each other and take our  
 
Photographs and personal stories of each of the 100 Outstanding Young Leaders can be view on the FosterClub website at www.fosterclub.org. The Young Leaders include:
  • 19-year-old Robin Webster of Pennsylvania, who entered the system at the age of 15. She lived in a shelter, 2 foster homes, a residential living center and a kinship care placement while in care. In august Robin is heading to Romania for a year to teach English and work in an orphanage. She hopes to become an English teacher while being active in church activities.
  • 22-year-old- Ralph Hall, who was place in foster care at the age of four. Ralph has served as Chairman of the Striving Black Brothers Coalition, and President of the Black Student Union at Chabot College. He has published two books of poetry and dedicates a lot of his time to motivating youth in Oakland, Letting them know that anything is possible. Recently Ralph lobbied in Sacramento on behalf of all who will be affected if THP+ and other child welfare cuts are implemented.
  • 19-year-old Salmata Tarawally, who along with her parents and siblings, escaped war torn Sierra Leone by moving to the United States. After their arrival, her parents left her and her siblings to fend for themselves, at which point Salmata entered the foster care system. Said a supportive adult about Salmata, "I am constantly amazed at Salmata's journey from Africa to America. Her and her sisters' resilience is astounding."
  • 19-year-old Derrius Quarles is a Psychology and Sociology double major with a triple minor in Public Health, Neuroscience, and Leadership Studies at Morehouse College. Derrius won more than $1.1 million in scholarships, including a full scholarship to atend college. His financial-aid accomplishment's have earned him the title "Million Dollar Scholar." He is the first in his family to attend a four-year institution.
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“Despite the hardships and setbacks faced by these Outstanding Young Leaders, they have  
already achieved great personal success.  Just as important, these inspiring young people  
have committed themselves to making a difference for the children and youth still in foster  
care,”  said  Celeste  Bodner,  Executive  Director  of  FosterClub.  “They  are  tremendously  
effective mentors and role models, advocates and policy influencers.“  
 
“Many youth feel the conviction to help their fellow peers in foster care because they want  
the experience to be better for those coming behind them,” said Chereese Phillips, a 24 year  
old Outstanding Young Leader from Pennsylvania. “Because foster care is such a unique  
experience,  they  have  a  shared  bond  and  sense  of  camaraderie  with  others  in  similar  
circumstances.  Channeling  their  desire  to  change  the  "system"  into  positive  and  
constructive avenues is imperative and can result in better outcomes in child welfare.”  
   
Foster  care  was  designed  as  a  temporary  solution  to  remove  children  from  abuse  and  
neglect,  but  children  often  languish  in  foster  care  before  returning  to  their  families  or  
joining  new  adoptive  families  or  living  permanently  with  relative  caregivers.  More  
troubling, 29,000 young people “age out” of foster care each year with no permanent family  
to rely upon. Research reveals that many youth who age out experience homelessness,  
unemployment, incarceration or illness – fewer than 3% of youth who age out graduate  
from college and nearly 1 in 5 become homeless.  
 
How you can help 
 
Support young people in foster care with a donation to FosterClub - Text the word "foster" to 85944 to make a $10 donation to benefit young people in foster care (charged to your cell phone bill). Visit www.fosterclub.org for more information or call FosterClub at 503-717-1552 to find more about supporting youth in care.
 
Cheer on your leaders in your own community - Log on to www.fosterclub.org and visit the state-by-state pages to read real stories about young people in your area. Discover groups of youth who are banding together to change the foster care system and offer your support.
 
Get involved in National Foster Care Month - Each May, National Foster Care Month provides an opportunity to shine a light on the plight of hundreds of thousands of children and youth in the foster
care system. Learn more at www.fostercaremonth.org. 
 
About National Foster Care Month
Each May, National Foster Care Month provides an opportunity to shine a light on the plight of hundreds
of thousands of children and youth in the foster care system. The campaign raises awareness about the
urgent needs of these young people and encourages citizens from every walk of life to get involved – as
foster or adoptive parents, volunteers, mentors, employers or in other ways. We call on all Americans to
help change the lifetime of a child or youth in foster care. Learn more at www.fostercaremonth.org.
 
About FosterClub
FosterClub is the national network for young people currently in, or who have experienced, the foster
care system. Every 2 minutes, a child’s life changes as they enter foster care. For more than 513,000
young people living in foster care across the nation, FosterClub is a place to turn for advice, information
and hope. FosterClub’s website, publications, events and annual AllStar internship program offer the tools
and resources these youth need to connect with one another, to share their experiences and insights, and
to achieve personal success. For more information, please visit www.fosterclub.org.