Laquita Shares Her Story

As a young adult emerging from foster care, I’ve had a lot of people coming in and out of my life -- but not when it comes to my church family.

My pastor and a variety of sisters and brothers in God continue to support and guide me throughout the troubles I face. They have always been there for me, one way or another!  My church has always been behind me caring, teaching and even scolding me when I need it!

But, above all, they have shown me the kind of love that I had not seen in years. 

When I was a lost in the system, with no place to go, a member of my church went out looking for a foster home for me. Even though I didn't wind up in the foster home they found, this was the nicest thing that anyone had ever done for me!  It showed me just how much my church really cared.

My church family continues to encourage me to pursue my dreams for the future!  Their support has shaped me into a better young adult, and helped me to survive my teenage years in the care of the county.

Meet Romero, the Artist Who Designed the Revision Artwork and Logo

Hello, my name is Romero Smith and I attend the Cleveland Institute of Art (CIA). I'm currently pursuing a Bachelors degree in Animation, Motion Graphics, and Game design. Reaching this point in my life was not as easy as it sounds. There was a major obstacle that I had to face head on and overcome, by this I mean being a child in the foster care system.

Foster care was not peaches and cream, like some of the different agencies try to convey. Have been a child in the system I know firsthand how that system works. One way that they can improve the outcomes for foster care youth is by showing more compassion towards them.

Love plays huge role in being a great worker, supervisor and also foster parent. Communication needs to increase between youth, foster parents and the social workers. This is why I decided to speak out on behalf of the foster children who haven't been heard:

"Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves,

for the rights of all who are destitute." ~ Proverbs 31:8

I'm a representative of the Cuyahoga County youth advisory board - otherwise known as the Teen Advocate Group (TAG). We try to help improve the communication between the teens in the foster care, foster parents and social workers. Our group is dedicated to advocate for teens' rights and responsibilities. One of our goals is to prepare teens for life after foster care.

Poem by Kennishewa Lewis-Page

When you look at me, what do you see?
The eye can only see skin deep.

When people look at me,
Complexion, my hair, my eyes,
That's all they can see.

The surface of what they think is me.
A smile, assumption of the beauty inside of me.

When you look at me,
There is so much you dont see.
The natural eye can only see so deep.

When I look at me,
What do I see?
Hurt, guilt, disaster,
Not the way life is supposed to be...

Hidden deep, wide and continuously,
I don't even FEEL,
Hear, touch, see, sense, invisible...
Will it ever heal?

When people look at me;
Hear with the ear, feel with the heart,
Deceiving mind, it's been from the start.

A smile, my clothes, my beauty...
It's only skin deep.