The Great Adventure

What was your favorite summer pastime as a kid? Maybe it was riding your bike all day with neighborhood friends, making homemade popsicles with siblings, sleeping in and staying up late. Whatever it may have been, summer is also the perfect time to pack up a suitcase and venture out to new destinations — and that’s exactly what 4KIDS GirlsPlace did! To make the most of their summer break, our GirlsPlace house mom Courtney took all four of her teen girls on a road trip from Florida to Indiana.

GirlsPlace is a 4KIDS family-style home for girls between the ages of 11-17. While making plans to visit her hometown in Indiana this summer, Courtney realized none of her girls had ever experienced a big road trip outside of Florida. So instead of planning her own trip home, she decided to include her girls and make long- lasting memories together.

“She decided to include her girls and make long-lasting memories together.”

On the day of their departure, the girls woke up at the crack of dawn and excitedly filed into the minivan with plenty of road trip snacks, games, pillows, and blankets. Some of the girls' highlights from the week-long trip included hiking, exploring waterfalls, and seeing mountains for the first time. For Courtney, it was special to witness many of the girls come out of their shell in a way that they hadn’t in a long time, giving into wonder, adventure, and a sense of family.

Not all kids and teens in foster care have the opportunity to experience a vacation like this. If these teens lived in a shelter or group home the chances for them to go on an out-of-state road trip would be slim. But because of their 4KIDS house mom's advocacy and determination, these girls got to experience the fun and excitement of a family vacation.

This trip is just another example of the way 4KIDS families go above and beyond to make sure that kids in foster care don’t miss out on having special childhood memories that everyone deserves. For these girls, it was truly a summer they will never forget!

GirlsPlace teens sight-seeing in Chicago with Courtney and her family