Former DC foster care kid goes to wellness camp

Diamond is a sweetie with big hopes of finding a forever family to love her, a career, and happiness. She is a kind person, respectful, and has a strong sense of right and wrong. She has the cutest laugh. She wants to get healthy and find a good job, and she keeps asking for our help to get her to her goals. 

We are Diamond's mentors. My fiancé and I met Diamond when she was living in transitional housing after "ageing out" of the Washington, DC foster care system at 21 years old. She is now 24 years old without parents nor any family to care for her and having been in foster care since 7 years old. She recently fell out of housing and so we took her in.

Since we met her and started spending time with her through Family and Youth Initiative (DCFYI)—a nonprofit that supports teens in foster care by pairing them with caring, committed adults—we have seen her blossom. Her self-esteem has improved greatly. She is eating healthier, participating in new activities, and excited about finding a job that will get her off welfare. But she still needs a lot of support and skill-building to be successful at independent living.

We both work full-time and don't have all the hours we would like to dedicate to building more and better habits for her. When we came across this wellness summer camp, we thought we found the perfect match. And it accepts young adults like Diamond! 

Camp Pocono Trails is a health and wellness summer camp that teaches nutrition, fitness, healthy internet use, and self-esteem. They have therapy there too. Diamond loves to be outdoors and go camping. We have taken her hiking and ziplining. She loves going for long walks. Every kid should get to go to summer camp at some point in their life, and this camp meets Diamond's needs better than any other. 

We are asking for nearly $5000 to send her to camp for a few weeks. If we raise more than $5000, we will send her to camp for longer or put the extra money toward job training when she gets back from camp.  

Thank you so much for your support to Diamond for this experience of a lifetime. We are so proud of her and can't wait to see her grow further!