Presented April 30, 2009

My name is Lynnette Mabinton and I am a current resident at Volunteers of America’s transitional housing program for former foster youth. What lead me to the foster care system were my mother’s bad decisions with drugs and alcohol, as well as with men. My father was not around and did not want to be a part of my life. One day, my mom got into a fight with her boyfriend and stabbed him. That night, the police came and took her to jail and my brothers and I were taken away to different foster homes. I was just 4 years old. I was devastated and scared because I was close to my mother – I was a mama’s girl.

So there I was, thrown into the system. Being in the foster care system can make you feel so low – as if you’re not worth being here on this Earth. I’ve been in homes where I was neglected, even beaten and raped. It didn’t matter if I told my social worker – they would just investigate the situation and move me to another home. I went through five foster homes by the time I was 16.

Life for me was like a game of basketball, with me as the ball – just thrown in whatever direction the people around me wanted me to go. I felt like I didn’t have choices in my life or the ability to even create goals for myself. I wasn’t here to live – I was just here. I felt like I was branded a juvenile delinquent just because I was a foster kid, never having the chance to prove myself. But I had to learn the hard way that in life, you either rise or you fall.

It wasn’t until the age of 16 I realized I did have choices and took control of my life. One day, while I was at work, I was verbally attacked and threatened by someone with a knife. I didn’t know my attacker, but people I knew did. My foster parent said I was bringing them drama. I was guilty by association, which wasn’t surprising since it always seemed that people automatically associated bad things with me, this foster kid. My foster family sent me away, saying I needed “to get my act together,” but they ended up giving me a 48-hour notice to find a new place to live. I didn’t care because I didn’t really care about much at that point.

I started to tell a friend what happened, with the same “I don’t care” attitude. What she told me would became my mantra. She said, “Rise, fail, succeed – at the end of the day it only affects you.” I realized that I was going to have to be the source of the change I needed. I always felt that I had no control over my life, but soon I was going to have complete control of my life and I would be responsible for it. I started getting myself together, I got my grades up in school, and with the help of my social worker, I learned about programs that help foster youth transition into adulthood.

By attending some Independent Living workshops, I found out about Volunteers of America’s transitional housing program for former foster youth. I submitted an application and two months after graduating high school, I moved into the Volunteers of America program. I was really nervous about entering the program, not just because it was a new place with new people, but because this was the opportunity I was waiting for. I wanted it so bad, and I didn’t want to fail.

When I arrived at Volunteers of America, I was welcomed with friendly smiles and open arms. Most precious to me was that I was receiving a chanc, to start life over as a young adult.

I am now more optimistic about the future and I now know I do have choices. I have people who go out of there way to help me better myself, I attend many different support groups and skills classes, such as employment training, Saturday breakfast club, and Residents Council. I help to coordinate social events for the young adults in the program and I participate in “foster rap,” which helps us turn our negative past into a positive future. The people at Volunteers of America not only help me set goals, but those same individuals stand behind me 100 percent when I feel things get too rough.

Volunteers of America gave me an opportunity to be an individual. And, above all, I was given something to call my own – my own home. This is a lot more than most young people my age have. With this fresh start, I am more confident in myself and more optimistic about my future. I am currently very happy with where I am in my life today. I am working toward my goal of being a psychologist and working full time, and I know that anything I set my mind on is possible because there is always a light at the end of every dark tunnel. Thank you, Volunteers of America for reminding me I’m not just a “foster kid” – I’m someone. I’m me – important in every way.

Presented April 30, 2009

My name is Lynnette Mabinton and I am a current resident at Volunteers of America’s transitional housing program for former foster youth. What lead me to the foster care system were my mother’s bad decisions with drugs and alcohol, as well as with men. My father was not around and did not want to be a part of my life. One day, my mom got into a fight with her boyfriend and stabbed him. That night, the police came and took her to jail and my brothers and I were taken away to different foster homes. I was just 4 years old. I was devastated and scared because I was close to my mother – I was a mama’s girl.

So there I was, thrown into the system. Being in the foster care system can make you feel so low – as if you’re not worth being here on this Earth. I’ve been in homes where I was neglected, even beaten and raped. It didn’t matter if I told my social worker – they would just investigate the situation and move me to another home. I went through five foster homes by the time I was 16.

Life for me was like a game of basketball, with me as the ball – just thrown in whatever direction the people around me wanted me to go. I felt like I didn’t have choices in my life or the ability to even create goals for myself. I wasn’t here to live – I was just here. I felt like I was branded a juvenile delinquent just because I was a foster kid, never having the chance to prove myself. But I had to learn the hard way that in life, you either rise or you fall.

It wasn’t until the age of 16 I realized I did have choices and took control of my life. One day, while I was at work, I was verbally attacked and threatened by someone with a knife. I didn’t know my attacker, but people I knew did. My foster parent said I was bringing them drama. I was guilty by association, which wasn’t surprising since it always seemed that people automatically associated bad things with me, this foster kid. My foster family sent me away, saying I needed “to get my act together,” but they ended up giving me a 48-hour notice to find a new place to live. I didn’t care because I didn’t really care about much at that point.

I started to tell a friend what happened, with the same “I don’t care” attitude. What she told me would became my mantra. She said, “Rise, fail, succeed – at the end of the day it only affects you.” I realized that I was going to have to be the source of the change I needed. I always felt that I had no control over my life, but soon I was going to have complete control of my life and I would be responsible for it. I started getting myself together, I got my grades up in school, and with the help of my social worker, I learned about programs that help foster youth transition into adulthood.

By attending some Independent Living workshops, I found out about Volunteers of America’s transitional housing program for former foster youth. I submitted an application and two months after graduating high school, I moved into the Volunteers of America program. I was really nervous about entering the program, not just because it was a new place with new people, but because this was the opportunity I was waiting for. I wanted it so bad, and I didn’t want to fail.

When I arrived at Volunteers of America, I was welcomed with friendly smiles and open arms. Most precious to me was that I was receiving a chanc, to start life over as a young adult.

I am now more optimistic about the future and I now know I do have choices. I have people who go out of there way to help me better myself, I attend many different support groups and skills classes, such as employment training, Saturday breakfast club, and Residents Council. I help to coordinate social events for the young adults in the program and I participate in “foster rap,” which helps us turn our negative past into a positive future. The people at Volunteers of America not only help me set goals, but those same individuals stand behind me 100 percent when I feel things get too rough.

Volunteers of America gave me an opportunity to be an individual. And, above all, I was given something to call my own – my own home. This is a lot more than most young people my age have. With this fresh start, I am more confident in myself and more optimistic about my future. I am currently very happy with where I am in my life today. I am working toward my goal of being a psychologist and working full time, and I know that anything I set my mind on is possible because there is always a light at the end of every dark tunnel. Thank you, Volunteers of America for reminding me I’m not just a “foster kid” – I’m someone. I’m me – important in every way.