Author: mstubbs

Keya – Pursuing Your Passion

About ACH

What Happens to Foster Kids When They Age Out of the System? Keya tells her story.

Keya entered the foster care system at 8 years old and she spent the majority of the next 10 years confused and frustrated. She wanted to be a chef but was always discouraged from doing so. People told her, “You’re going to be overworked and underpaid.” However, through ACH Child and Family Services, Keya was able to pursue her dream of being a chef.

That didn’t mean becoming a chef wasn’t without its challenges.

Relationships are the key to success

ACH started The LIFE Project to help foster youth who age out of the foster system prepare for adulthood. As part of living there, residents are encouraged to attend what the LIFE project calls family meetings and dinners to interact with people their age and practice appropriate socialization skills. Keya was quiet the first month, but that created a rift between other youth in the program. She said attending family dinners helped sooth that rift and allowed her to start building friendships among the other girls. As she started opening up, she was able to get more out of the program and build key relationships.

One of those relationships was with her LIFE Mentor, Stephanie. Stephanie had also grown up in foster care, and the two shared a unique bond of how hard launching into adulthood is when you don’t have the social support provided by family systems. Keya kept her emotions to herself, but when Keya’s grandmother died, she turned to Stephanie for support. In the Counting On Us podcast, she shared, “I think that is the first and only time [Stephanie] has seen me bald face cry.”

Keya used coping skills after a sad death in her family

Keya said, of that experience, that she had to force herself to cry and become emotional in front of another person to get the support she needed, which was a huge step. Stephanie was able to help her process the complex grief she was going through of losing her best friend and favorite grandparent.


Stephanie encouraged Keya to process her emotions and be sad. Afterward, Keya baked a cake in honor of her grandmother. While she was baking, she reminded herself that her grandmother never feared death, but she welcomed it. That provided comfort as well.

Keya used coping skills after a sad death in her family

Stephanie and Keya worked together to combat depression. Baking was a great way to do that and also to be connected to her grandma. But it wasn’t enough by itself. Keya still had to find a way forward. Stephanie said, “We need to be first and foremost be mindful of [our client’s] mental health.” Together, they worked through Keya’s goals, which reminded her why she was in the LIFE Program. Stephanie let Keya know about Fort Worx, a collaboration between the Tarrant Area Food Bank, Taste Project, and The Culinary School of Fort Worth. This program is designed to help students get their foot in the culinary world. Keya applied and was accepted.

Everyone who taught Keya raved about her success in the program.
Keya graduated with her American Culinary Federation certification and is doing well on her way to becoming a chef.

Want to hear keya tell her story in her own words?

LISTEN HERE

Part of the ACH Continuum of Care

ACH’s LIFE (Learning Independence from Experience) Project is a program that builds self-confidence and self-sufficiency in young adults ages 18 to 21 who are homeless or are in extended foster care. Young adults who are on their own are given guidance and support in developing life skills—such as applying to college, entering the workforce, and preparing to live independently.

 
Our expenses for The LIFE Project are greater than our resources and we are projecting a funding gap this year of $693,643. To learn more about our programs and to donate, visit ACHservices.org/LIFE.

One Woman’s Rewarding History with ACH Women’s Auxiliary

About ACH

The ACH Women’s Auxiliary dates back to 1962. Here’s a story of one member who joined some 30 years later and is still actively involved.

Sheila Owen learned of ACH through a friend in the early ‘90s. She was working and had a child but still felt the calling to get involved in the community. When her friend told her that she could volunteer and bring her daughter, that sounded doable. At that time, All Church Home, which would later become ACH, had a group residential home on Summit Avenue. Members of the ACH Women’s Auxiliary were invited to holidays and birthday parties for the children in ACH’s care so the kids could experience a family get-together.

In those days, Sheila and family could actually take the kids to outings like miniature golf and other activities that let them share in the fun. And back then, the kids were often at the Summit location until they aged out of foster care, so the Auxiliary members were able to build up a relationship with them.

Still, it was hard to come home from work and want to provide quality time for her two daughters and attend Women’s Auxiliary Meetings. One night, she told her daughter she was going to skip the meeting because she was just too busy. Taylor, her daughter who had accompanied her mom on many a visit, said “Mom, you have to go—you can’t miss that meeting!”

Sheila Owen (left) with daughters Taylor and Courtney.

When Taylor went on to college, it was Sheila’s younger daughter, Courtney, who would join mom in events like the Holiday Store, where ACH kids could pick out gifts for their family and youth care specialists. Mother and daughter would help out by helping the kids shop and even wrap their gifts for them.

Sheila is glad that both of her daughters understood that not all kids are as lucky as they were. And she’s grateful that they learned how good it feels to help others.

Sheila was glad to see ACH move on to placing children in foster homes, so they could grow up in a family environment rather than a group home. She welcomed the approach of preserving families and now of placing children with extended family whenever possible. She believes in change for the better, but we’re grateful one thing hasn’t changed: She’s still actively involved with the ACH Women’s Auxiliary.

The ACH Women’s Auxiliary
Kinship Navigator Program

ACH Child and Family Services can trace its beginning to 1915, when a group of women dedicated to providing a safe home and hope for a good future to orphans and destitute women with children founded the All Church Home for Children.

In 1962, Board President Mrs. Ben L. Bird formed the Women’s Auxiliary to provide love and attention for the children living in ACH’s care.

The Women’s Auxiliary was reinstated in 2015 to support children and families served by the organization through service opportunities and advocacy in our community.

Women’s History Month is EVERY month at ACH and we are thankful to all who give hope to our children.

Meet Alicia

Fortunately for Alicia, a sad situation turned into a big breakthrough

When ACH gets a Safe Place call, they’re entering situations that can be high-stress and potentially dangerous. However, some calls require
them to deescalate smaller situations. While at first glance these situations might not seem like big issues, they can prevent a bigger situation from happening down the line. 

At the time, ACH Shelter Outreach Coordinator Angela Lewis was on the outreach team to respond to calls from Safe Place. She got a call from the Fort Worth Police Department about a 15-year-old girl who had locked herself in a QuikTrip restroom. Angela quickly arrived and assessed the situation.

Not a temper tantrum…

Alicia’s mother had dropped her off with her father for the weekend. They were stopping for gas when Alicia and her father got into an argument over her cell phone. Alicia was getting ready for the homecoming football game that evening at her high school where she served as a Football Trainer, a position she took very seriously. Alicia was texting her coach when her father got upset and snatched the phone from her. Alicia ran inside the QuikTrip restroom and refused to come out.

Angela urged Alicia to come out for over an hour and when she finally did, Angela was able to deescalate her and get to the deeper issue. Alicia’s parents were going through a nasty divorce, and this had been weighing heavily on Alicia. Alicia revealed to Angela that she felt responsible for the divorce.

Safe Place is a locally administered, national program that provides access to immediate help and safety for youth in trouble (ages 10-18). The distinctive yellow and black Safe Place sign can be found outside of business and community locations including QuikTrip. 

…but a cry for help

Since the beginning of the divorce, Alicia’s parents began to notice negative mental health behaviors arising, including self-harm. Angela was able to provide resources to Alicia’s parents including recommendations to ACH’s counseling program. After talking with Angela, Alicia came outside and apologized to her dad.

Teenagers with divorced parents are 300% more likely to experience mental health issues, a link that cannot be ignored.

“Sometimes it just takes an outside voice to step in and provide insight,” said Angela.

The police officers thanked Angela for coming out, even though this wasn’t an emergency. What started as a small crisis turned into a large breakthrough for Alicia and her family.

 

For more information on Safe Place, visit ACHservices.org/Safe-Place. For a 24-hour text-for-support service for youth in crisis, text the word SAFE (7233) and your current location to 4HELP (44357).

Want to help? This year, Safe Place will face a projected budget deficit of $36,131. Your donations can make a difference.