Growing up, I felt like I had the perfect family. I had a mother and a father and two brothers. I loved every aspect of my family, especially because most the kids I knew had only one parent.
All of that changed when I was 12 years old. My father died unexpectedly and my mother went into a tailspin of drug addiction not long after. Everything fell apart—our house was foreclosed, my older brother went into the Navy and my baby brother and I were placed in the foster care program through DABSJ. I asked myself, “Can it get any worse than this?” So I decided to look forward, not back.
I did well in my foster home. I played three sports and was on the Student Council and Glee Club. I even mentored and tutored other students who were struggling.
Yet I felt like a lost soul. I believed in a higher power, but didn’t know where to find it. I didn’t understand why bad things happened in my life. Then I was invited to open gym night at Kuyper College. Not long after, I enrolled.
While I started college for the love of basketball, I soon had more important priorities. My friends and professors have taught me about a living faith and convinced me that I am a child of God.
Here at D.A. Blodgett - St. John's, we're able to provide children with many different opportunities to grow and learn. We wouldn't be able to change lives without the generous help from the people of our community.