Monday, April 19, 2010
Teens in Maine Need Foster Families Too
Casey Family Services will be featured in Raising Maine’s May issue! A reporter from the local magazine interviewed our division director, Mark Millar, and a young woman who was adopted as a teenager, Sarah Sayward. Together, they illustrate both the need for families willing to provide a permanent home for older youth in foster care, and the hope young people have to be adopted. Millar explains that the longer a child is in foster care, the less likely they are to be adopted. Currently, about 18 percent of Maine’s foster children “age out” of state care without a family of their own. Sayward notes: “Some of these kids I know have never been in a situation where they actually felt loved. It’s like they’re hiding in their shell. As a potential parent, you might have to hack away, but if you take the time, you’re going to find the diamond. And you’ll see that all that hard work was for something. Just don’t give up on us.” Indeed, if you meet Sarah you will know giving up was never an option. If you live in southern Maine, pick up a copy of Raising Maine to read the full story!
