Turning the Page Together

When Julia entered foster care at sixteen years old, she felt hopeless. Her life up to this point had been anything but easy. She didn’t believe anyone would want her, a teenager struggling in school and fourteen weeks pregnant. But thankfully, Thornwell believes that every child deserves a safe and loving family. Tracy, the Foster Care Family Specialist in her area, knew she had the perfect family for Julia. When the Williams family opened their door to welcome her, they remembered a shy girl with a sweet smile and the brightest blue eyes they had ever seen.

Because you give generously to Thornwell, not only was Julia surrounded with the love and support of a caring foster family, but she was equipped with innovative resources and services to meet her individualized needs!

Julia was enrolled in Thornwell’s Read Right program and matched with a tutor named Rhonda. Every week, Rhonda met with Julia virtually so that she could remain in the comfort of her foster home. Her confidence and reading proficiency progressed along with her pregnancy. Each week, Rhonda helped her to read and understand the parenting articles and doctor’s instructions that she desperately wanted to comprehend in order to care for herself and her baby well.

Julia started 9th grade at the school where Ms. Williams is a teacher, but they quickly realized she struggled to keep up. Due to the instability in her family life, Julia’s education was severely disrupted. She didn’t know how to engage in the classroom meaningfully. She didn’t know how to ask for help. She was reading at only a 4thgrade reading level. Ms. Williams and her support team at Thornwell refused to give up on Julia.

This collaboration of Thornwell’s Foster Care team, Julia’s foster family, and Thornwell’s Read Right program allowed Julia to build her confidence, make incredible academic progress, and prepare for motherhood! This is the difference that our continuum of care can make in the life of a young person. It will not end here; literacy will impact Julia’s family for generations.

Thank you for believing that hope is possible! Thanks to YOU, Julia believes there is hope for her and her baby to have a better, brighter future TOGETHER.

Today, Julia and her sweet baby boy are healthy and happy at home with the Williams family. She has everything she needs, thanks to Thornwell’s community of support. Tonight, she will hold her baby safely in her loving arms as she reads him a bedtime story. You made that bedtime story possible! We can imagine no better gift than this one. Because of you, because you support Thornwell’s innovative and collaborative programs, a mom and her baby are together.