Page 38 - August 2016 Life In Naples Magazine

A Rainbow

OVER TROUBLED WATER

A child’s luck of the draw?

by Ron McGinty

N o child picks their parents.It is a God given right to to enable six months of participation in No Barriers Youth/
have children.There is no pre-testing of suitability, Learning Afar Program. When selected the students will
stability, mental health, drug-free testing or other study culture, leadership, current global changes before
requirements to get pregnant. Fortunately, income embarking on a ten-day excursion to Southwest USA.
is not a requirement to be a loving parent. I have experienced The program solidifies confidence, passion and resilience.
responsible and loving parents in slums and ghettos around the When asked to relate their visions, the responses were:
world. Consequently, it begs the question why does foster care • They are all inspired to help others.
exist? Some parents made terrible mistakes and worked hard to • The career that I want is to be a chef.
rectify them and some just can’t or won’t resolve their problems. • I would like to study Music Therapy or anything
These good children can become wards of the state. Our society involving music because I like music, I also like to sing.
spends millions of dollars to offer life’s living necessities, but • I want to study culinary arts and become a traveling chef
can’t contribute LOVE. Thus the staggering statistic, only 25 one day.
percent succeed in adulthood. I have experienced second and • I would like to become a youth pastor and a Christian
third generations of foster children. My awareness comes from rapper.
the first-hand experience as a Guardian ad Litem for over four • I hope to serve our country in the Army or the Marines.
years and 18 children. • I consider myself a leader. I push others that need
pushing; I never leave anyone behind. A leader needs a
The numbers keep swelling, resulting in a total of 652
foster children as of May 2016 in the 20th Circuit of
Southwest Florida. There is a critical shortage of foster
homes. Collier County is especially in desperate need of
additional foster parents.

Each of these children has gone through ruthless times
creating personal trauma. The term “Foster Child” is a lifespan
term, if not reunited with parents, adopted or aged out. The
world can be cruel, especially bullies who don’t care about their
peers’ feelings of this label. As survivors, the foster children can
become guarded and isolated.Their despair most often can lead
to questioning their place in the world or even if there is a God.
Too often, it can tip many into addictive behaviors to cope.

Now flip the coin over, look into the hearts and minds of
these exceptional children. Many give a supreme effort to build
a path to reach their dreams. Eleven female children, age 15 to
18 years have started a scholarship fund (from local donations)

38 Life in Naples | August • September • October 2016