I had a rough life growing up.  My biological mom was addicted to heroin and my dad was in jail most of the time. With four sisters and incapable parents, I was left with the burden of being the man of the family at a young age.  I was my family’s caregiver throughout my childhood, scrounging for food for my sisters and me, picking out the clothes we were going to wear to school the next day, or worrying that my mom was not going to pay the bills.

But I was one of the lucky ones in these situations – lucky because God answered my prayers and Plummer Foster Care found a great mom and dad to take me in.  I’m blessed that my [foster] mom has a kind heart and does not judge a troubled kid by his past.

Unfortunately, there are more kids out there who aren’t as lucky.  Many are not seen for their potential, as people who can go somewhere in life.  I am blessed to have a [foster] dad who treats me like a son and who gives me the advice I need to become a man.  He teaches me things my biological dad did not, could not.  I will be the first person in my family to graduate high school and pursue college to become a social worker because of these opportunities.

Agencies like Plummer Foster Care can help more children to have what I never had as a child.  An opportunity like the one I was given is what we are missing in our communities!  We are missing the love and compassion that my foster parents showed me, even as a total stranger.  Many kids who don’t have that turn to gangs, drugs, and even suicide. Truthfully, a lot of people could have seen me as just another kid from the ghetto throwing his life away.

I am writing to tell you that these kids out on the streets are more than that!  They want to be children, too. They want to be able to live normal lives, but they can’t because they feel like they’re the only ones to take care of their brothers and sisters.

That’s why Plummer Foster Care is so important.  Plummer can help get troubled kids off the streets by finding foster families who can care for them the way my mom and dad care for me.

This blog post is from a youth in a Plummer foster family.  To learn more about foster parenting, contact Plummer Foster Care at 978-935-9555 or visit https://plummeryouthpromise.org/.