This is a place where you can come for advice or a kind word. If you are in a group home, Foster care or had no family due to any circumstance, There are many things you may not have learned. I hope to motivate change in your life! If you have no family to inspire you on bad days, you may find something here to show you how to get out of your bubble and "take back your life! * These words are my opinions only and based on my 16 years in foster care! FosterKidsUniteInc@gmail.com
Tuesday, August 26, 2014
Tanya Cooper speaking at Rye Playland to 800 foster families/kids
its from few years ago but thought you might get something out of it! Remember I am speaking over 800 kids and families AND play land regulars!! lol
Great event put on to thank foster families in Westchester!
Aged Out with little resources
Hi Blog family!
so thankful you all made it through another summer. You should be excited about your life and the possibilities that can happen at any moment! FosterKidsUnite, Inc. is now official! We are waiting for non profit status!! :)
I know some of my young people just aged out of foster care in June and are now in transitional housing facing issues like DSS cutting them off AND you don't know why......ASK!!
I cannot tell you enough, you must advocate for yourself!
Once you age out, your on your own. Many places will give you transitional housing, (IF YOU ASK, BEG OR SHELTER IS ONLY OPTION), that is the hard truth. Everyone wants to pass the buck, actually there is no more money to be made, that is why you are passed on or looked over. I have to keep it 100%, some may not like it or agree BUT if you do your homework and talk to thousands of youth who aged out like I have, you don't need agency statistics to tell you what is needed.
FosterKidsUnite, Inc. was formed so we can provide non traditional services to those in care and those who aged out and seeking higher education! As of now, our ONLY intention is to help those who have no family to go back to, (be that because they are on drugs or deceased).
As Executive Director, I was once in your shoes, moved around, group and foster homes and lucked out to stay one place 7-18, but I had to sign myself back in, because I had NO family and my foster family and I were divided after my being abused by two foster brothers, was discovered. No one cared about me and I had to learn quick, I had to care about ME!!!
I started researching and asking questions. If a social worker told me I could not get help, I would not only ask her why, but I would ask for her boss and then the commissioner in the area who handles those services!! And if that did not work, I would ask for a fair hearing!! Your life depends on how much you advocate for yourself! Education is totally FREE when your in foster care and up until 25, some places you can still get Pell, Tap, FASFA help! There is NO reason, if you passed your diploma or GED, why you cant go further with education. Take a class that interest you, go to the local college and talk to the Dean, somebody can help you if YOU try!
Budgets are being cut by government daily, that is why you must know your rights and who gets paid to help you, why and how they can and should help you!
If they can help a person that just did a 25 year bid in jail, why cant they help a kid who grew up in group homes all their life? It is not your fault if your not ready, its the agency that placed you, they did not give you the skills to survive this expensive world but they made plenty of money off you! In jail they get $30,000 a year per inmate, imagine what they make off group home kids? Add in grants and tax breaks - everyone getting paid but YOU and now your ashamed to ask for help? Get the help you need and learn to go back to the very agency that let you go and demand help, if your under 21 sign yourself back in to get what you need to survive!
You deserve a great life and usually parents lead you, prepare you, teach you, if you were with an agency that just let you run around and never stimulated your brain or challenge your skills, it is their fault also- you have to take responsibility for yourself because YOUTUBE explains anything you don't know!!
I wrote way more than I wanted but I am ticked off that so many kids are in need, dropping out of college because no one will help them buy books, or basics. We hope to pick up some of the slack at FosterKidsUnite, Inc. If we can save or change one life, we put a pebble in the water and while small, there will be a wave!
Advocate for self!!!xo
Tanya
information on how to help please write or email: FosterKidsUniteInc@gmail.com
P.O.Box 583
Bedford Hills, NY 10507
*If you are in NY and want to donate or volunteer and help us in December with our gift boxes for testing please email us. we provide snacks for finals, personal items for bathing, socks, gloves, gift cards to ALL the major stores;; Kohl's, target, Macy's, A &P, amazon, Starbucks, just to name a few!
*If you know someone in the NY area that has worked with foster/group home kids on any level please nominate them to receive the "Citizen of Change" award at our end of May event where we also give The Robert Cooper Memorial Scholarship!
so thankful you all made it through another summer. You should be excited about your life and the possibilities that can happen at any moment! FosterKidsUnite, Inc. is now official! We are waiting for non profit status!! :)
I know some of my young people just aged out of foster care in June and are now in transitional housing facing issues like DSS cutting them off AND you don't know why......ASK!!
I cannot tell you enough, you must advocate for yourself!
Once you age out, your on your own. Many places will give you transitional housing, (IF YOU ASK, BEG OR SHELTER IS ONLY OPTION), that is the hard truth. Everyone wants to pass the buck, actually there is no more money to be made, that is why you are passed on or looked over. I have to keep it 100%, some may not like it or agree BUT if you do your homework and talk to thousands of youth who aged out like I have, you don't need agency statistics to tell you what is needed.
FosterKidsUnite, Inc. was formed so we can provide non traditional services to those in care and those who aged out and seeking higher education! As of now, our ONLY intention is to help those who have no family to go back to, (be that because they are on drugs or deceased).
As Executive Director, I was once in your shoes, moved around, group and foster homes and lucked out to stay one place 7-18, but I had to sign myself back in, because I had NO family and my foster family and I were divided after my being abused by two foster brothers, was discovered. No one cared about me and I had to learn quick, I had to care about ME!!!
I started researching and asking questions. If a social worker told me I could not get help, I would not only ask her why, but I would ask for her boss and then the commissioner in the area who handles those services!! And if that did not work, I would ask for a fair hearing!! Your life depends on how much you advocate for yourself! Education is totally FREE when your in foster care and up until 25, some places you can still get Pell, Tap, FASFA help! There is NO reason, if you passed your diploma or GED, why you cant go further with education. Take a class that interest you, go to the local college and talk to the Dean, somebody can help you if YOU try!
Budgets are being cut by government daily, that is why you must know your rights and who gets paid to help you, why and how they can and should help you!
If they can help a person that just did a 25 year bid in jail, why cant they help a kid who grew up in group homes all their life? It is not your fault if your not ready, its the agency that placed you, they did not give you the skills to survive this expensive world but they made plenty of money off you! In jail they get $30,000 a year per inmate, imagine what they make off group home kids? Add in grants and tax breaks - everyone getting paid but YOU and now your ashamed to ask for help? Get the help you need and learn to go back to the very agency that let you go and demand help, if your under 21 sign yourself back in to get what you need to survive!
You deserve a great life and usually parents lead you, prepare you, teach you, if you were with an agency that just let you run around and never stimulated your brain or challenge your skills, it is their fault also- you have to take responsibility for yourself because YOUTUBE explains anything you don't know!!
I wrote way more than I wanted but I am ticked off that so many kids are in need, dropping out of college because no one will help them buy books, or basics. We hope to pick up some of the slack at FosterKidsUnite, Inc. If we can save or change one life, we put a pebble in the water and while small, there will be a wave!
Advocate for self!!!xo
Tanya
information on how to help please write or email: FosterKidsUniteInc@gmail.com
P.O.Box 583
Bedford Hills, NY 10507
*If you are in NY and want to donate or volunteer and help us in December with our gift boxes for testing please email us. we provide snacks for finals, personal items for bathing, socks, gloves, gift cards to ALL the major stores;; Kohl's, target, Macy's, A &P, amazon, Starbucks, just to name a few!
*If you know someone in the NY area that has worked with foster/group home kids on any level please nominate them to receive the "Citizen of Change" award at our end of May event where we also give The Robert Cooper Memorial Scholarship!
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
On The Town with Tanya Cooper
blog family!
R.I.P to Robin Williams and prayers and love to his family!
Depression is serious, if you have a sadness that will not leave, that haunts you, that makes you hurt yourself or want to hurt others SEEK HELP from friends, family or doctor! Don't allow the pain to take you from us, we need you in the universe! Know that you are loved and we ALL matter xo
in case you did not know I have MANY hobbies, I am sharing the two most important - helping foster kids and former fosters who are adults and trying to advance education in some way. FosterKidsUnite, Inc is now a reality thanks to my brothers friends!! We hope to do more to help foster kids. You will be hearing more soon! Thank you for supporting the blog! My other love, since I was 12 I wanted to be queen of late night TV- have my own talk show!! yes, before I heard of Oprah I LOVED Carol Burnett, Sammy Davis, Jerry Lewis, Dean Martin, Gilda Ratner and the OLD SNL!!! I use to write scripts like I was on staff!! lol I recently started stand up comedy AND I am doing On The Town until NBC, CBS or ABC call!!! lol
Remember to dream big, nothing is impossible, things may not go as planned at first, you may see no money at first, but if its your dream, it cant be wrong!!! Go big!! God would want it that way!!
Don't forget to always go back and help others...and if you have nothing, that's ok too, give your heart and your time to help others.
Gratitude and Giving...best things in life are free!!! xo
TC
Saturday, August 2, 2014
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