It was an honor to be interviewed recently by VoyageOhio:
Hi Lisa, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today.
As a childhood victim of abuse, I am honored as an adult to have been a part of successfully advocating for the state of Ohio to establish a Youth Ombudsman Office. I entered foster care at age 11 due to my father’s abusive behavior. My mother had passed away a year earlier when I was 10. She had battled cancer for several years; breast cancer, uterine cancer, and it eventually went to her brain.
From ages 11-16, I grew up in a series of temporary placements, including an all-girls group home, a co-ed group home, and an emergency shelter. At the time, there was a lack of foster homes available who were willing to foster teens. At age 16, I was accepted into college at the University of Kentucky, where I earned my master’s degree.
Today, I serve as Communications Chair for ACTION Ohio and co-facilitator of the OHIO Youth Advisory Board. I helped found both organizations in 2006. I am also a founding member and former chair of Ohio Reach, a statewide initiative to increase the number of foster care youth who enroll in and graduate from college.
In my role, I head up planning for our annual early Thanksgiving dinners for current and former foster youth, as well as other initiatives, including College for the Day, Suits for Success, and Three Days on the Hill. I am currently heading up planning efforts for the 2024 Leadership and Life Skills Summit for Current and Former Foster Youth (ages 14-24).
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall, and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It was an honor to be accepted into college at age 16 by a caring Admissions Counselor named Randy Mills. I was able to go to court and become legally emancipated. The next challenge was facing the adult world without support. This is a struggle shared by many young adults lacking in family privilege – I wasn’t sure who I could count on. I felt most comfortable relying upon myself.
By age 17, I was homeless. I had allowed a former roommate from a group home to move in with me because I thought that I could rescue her. I knew that I wanted to make a difference for others in and from foster care. I didn’t know that the time that you can’t “rescue” other people, you can only empower them and make sure they know about available resources and how to access them. It was a bad choice to allow her to move in with me. She never paid rent, refused to engage in work or school, stole money from me, and her actions caused us to become evicted.
Despite being homeless, I remained enrolled in college and kept going to classes. They were a source of stability and the only way I knew to build my future. My belongings were stored in a storage unit that I paid for with the Social Security check that I received monthly between ages 16-18 due to my mother’s passing. I was able to save up money to move into a Methodist dorm on campus, the UK Wesley Foundation.
By age 18, I was safe and settled at the dorm. Fellow residents became my first family. They cared about me, challenged me, and helped me learn about healthy boundaries. With their peer support, I returned to each of my former placements to support and encourage foster youth.
During the several months that I was homeless, the two biggest challenges were figuring out where to sleep and where to bathe. I became very creative at both tasks. I slept in college libraries while sitting in a study cubby, for example. Today’s homeless and housing-insecure youth remain near to my heart.
As part of the OHIO YAB and ACTION Ohio’s annual trips to Washington D.C. for Three Days on the Hill, between 2013-2020, participating youth were empowered to write the Fostering Stable Housing Opportunities Act which is now a federal law. The work of foster care youth and alumni during seven years of D.C. visits laid the foundation for FYI on-demand housing vouchers. I am deeply thankful to have been a part of this work.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
I work 60-80 hours per week. I have a paid 40-hour-a-week job in which I serve as a Youth Services Librarian. I love this work — and I love the 20+ hours that I spend weekly volunteering my time to improve foster care outcomes.
The Overcoming Hurdles in Ohio Youth Advisory Board is a statewide organization of young people (aged 14-24) who have experienced foster care. The OHIO YAB exists to be the knowledgeable statewide voice that influences policies and practices that impact youth who have or will experience out-of-home care. In the state of Ohio, it is the youth themselves who identify policy areas to address. Current statewide priorities as identified by Ohio foster care youth and young adults are Child Safety and Protection, Life Skills and Resource Knowledge, Normalcy and Emotional Support, and Youth Voices in Court and Elsewhere.
Alumni of Care Together Improving Outcomes Now Ohio (ACTION Ohio) is dedicated to improving outcomes for current and former foster care youth. We are a volunteer organization, and our membership is primarily comprised of former foster youth, ages 18+, with no age cap. We make it possible for today’s teens and young adults, in and from foster care, to share their insights regarding local, state, and national policy. We have been able to orchestrate college visits, statewide conferences, and Self Care Summits for current and former foster youth. By facilitating annual Thanksgiving dinners, we provide peer support and a sense of family. During our 2023 Thanksgiving Together events, we even had a cloth tree with fabric leaves that participants could sign, and their leaves were ironed on to be a part of our Chosen Family.
What’s next?
We are currently preparing to host the 2024 Leadership and Life Skills Summit for current and former foster youth ages 14-24. This will be Ohio’s first statewide foster youth conference since 2019. We are deeply grateful to have made it beyond the pandemic and to have support to host this year’s event.
Lived experience will be prioritized in event planning and facilitation. In the spirit of youth leadership, every workshop will include youth voice in the development of content to be presented. Foster care alumni ages 24+ will also be invited to co-facilitate workshops and other activities.
During the Summit, one room will be set aside for Suits for Success. There will be volunteers on hand to show youth how to tie their first tie. Young people in and from foster care will be able to keep the suits and wear them as needed for job interviews and other important life events.
So far, we have received 300 brand-new clothing donations for young men and are currently preparing to do a clothing drive for young women. We are also looking for an additional donation of storage space here in Columbus, Ohio. Our current storage location is at capacity with the men’s clothing donations, which exceeded our expectations in the best and most beautiful way possible.
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