Help Support a Pregnant Emancipated Foster Teen

Dear friends!

I am starting this Go Fund Me campaign to help support a young woman who desperately needs help. “Amy” (as I will call her to protect her privacy) is an 18-year-old, recently emancipated foster teen who lives in Lompoc who is now 15 weeks pregnant. Amy has worked so hard, against so many odds, to make it successfully to where she is now. At 18 years old, she graduated from high school, worked a difficult job, saved money to buy her own car, secured her own apartment, attended Allan Hancock College with a full load of classes, all without the help of any family. As many of you know, just graduating from high school is a huge accomplishment for most foster teens. However, this fall, as she was just starting out on her own, she had three very unfortunate things happen to her: her car was stolen and stripped, her employer stopped paying her (and the other employees) for two months (before she left and found a new job), and the owner of her apartment sold the house she was living in, requiring her to find a new place to live. For a “launching” teen from a supportive family, any of these things would be difficult enough to navigate, but she successfully navigated these hardships on her own at 18, finding help to repair her car, finding a new place to live and finding a new job.

 

And then in January, Amy discovered that she is pregnant, making her path to successful independence exponentially harder. As she contemplated what to do, she decided, ultimately, to keep the baby. She was very sick during her first trimester and was hospitalized 3 times due to dehydration brought on by “morning sickness”. Thankfully, as she entered her 2nd trimester, she has not been as sick. But here she is now, 15 weeks pregnant, due in August and not sure of how she will support herself and her baby.

 

To me, as a believer and an advocate for Life, this is where the rubber meets the road. This is where we need to gather up fellow believers and support this young woman and her baby in any way we can. Financially, she is hanging on by a thread. Her rent is very high, she hasn't been able to work because she has had such horrible "Morning sickness", her social workers have not helped her get the funding that she is entitled to as an emancipated foster child, and she could use any financial donation that we can give her. (I am working with the supervising social worker to make sure that she IS getting the funding that she is entitled to.)

 

I have known Amy for the past 4 years, and I can tell you that Amy is smart, resilient, kind, caring, shy and resourceful. She loves animals and would love to be a veterinarian or veterinarian assistant someday. She has a cat that she loves and has cared for throughout movement in the foster care system. I know that if she has enough support, she can continue to work towards successful independence as she prepares to have and raise this baby.

 

I have experience working in the foster care field, and I can tell you that the statistics for emancipating foster youth without an adoptive family are very grim. A high number of them become homeless within a year because they are not given a safety net of support or resources. Adding a baby to this situation, and the odds become even more grim.

 

Will you consider joining me in creating a nest egg for Amy? We can help give Amy a nest egg so that she has a chance at success for her and her baby. Please consider giving towards this cause. If you cannot give to this cause, would you pass along this information to your circles who may be able to give? Even in the best circumstances, it takes a village to raise a child, and in this circumstance she has no village! Let's be her village and make it as big as possible!

I have set up an account to provide a small nest egg for Amy as she prepares to have her baby.  This money can be used by Amy to help meet her housing needs, to keep her healthy throughout her pregnancy, and to give her money to begin purchasing the things that she will need to care for her baby. I have kept the account in my name and my sister's name (Aubrey Hierholzer), and my sister is the trustee on the account.  I have done this, not because I don't trust Amy, but to protect this money from potential misuse by her family members, and so that this money will not be held against her as she applies for financial aid for college.  (I consulted an estate attorney about setting up a trust, but she advised that the attorney fees of setting up a trust would cost more than what I imagine this account will hold).  

Ways you can give:

You can make a donation on the Go Fund Me page I created for this cause

(*these donations are not tax deductible)

 

My dad's church, Calvary Baptist Church in Lompoc, is participating in this cause through their Benevolent Fund. You can send a check or donate online to Calvary Baptist Church, and in the memo of the check note, "Benevolent Fund: Foster Youth Safety Net", and the money will be allocated to the account for Amy. (*this donation option is tax deductible). Their online portal is here ( https://cbclompoc.churchcenter.com/giving ), and you can select "Benevolent Fund" in the dropdown menu. If you choose this option, you can let me know of your donation, or email the church secretary, Alice ([E-Mail ausgeblendet]), and let her know that the donation is for "Amy" or "Foster Youth Safety Net" and she will make sure it is allocated to the account for Amy. Otherwise you can send the check, made out to: Calvary Baptist Church, 3355 Constellation Rd, Lompoc, CA 93436, Attn: Benevolent Fund: Foster Youth.

 

If you have any questions, or would like more information, please feel free to contact me through the "Contact" tab on the Go Fund Me campaign.

 

Thank you for your support!