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| …but never knew his parents. His mother died when he was very young and no one knew his father’s whereabouts. As a little boy (5-6 years old) he would sell Chicklets to the tourists for money and would give that money to adults who provided him with a place to live. While he was doing this he met a man who said he wanted to help him get to the United States. Mark listened to this adult and sneaked across the U.S. border to get to America. This adult man met up with him and they drove for a little ways to an airport. Once at the airport, they boarded a plane for Arizona. Mark says that from the moment he got on the plane he fell in love with flying and knew that some day he would want to fly airplanes. While in Arizona, the man robbed a bank and was arrested. No one wanted to take responsibility for Mark so one of the man’s friends who lived in Wyoming agreed to take the boy. Mark was put on a plane to Wyoming where this other man collected him. He lived with this man for a while but the man “did something he shouldn’t have” and was also arrested. At that point, the State of Wyoming’s DSHS stepped in and Mark became a ward of the state. He was about 8 years old at the time and was temporarily placed with a family until DSHS could locate a family that was more culturally correct. Mark says that this first family taught him a lot and there were a lot of people who cared. As an almost 9 year old, he had never attended school and didn’t speak much English. However, it was decided that he should start school in the 4th grade. Mark says he was fortunate because he had a really good grade-school teacher who tutored him and helped him to learn English and the first family he stayed with was really helpful. However, DSHS located a Mexican family and moved him to live with this family. Mark says that this placement didn’t work out and when he was 9 ½ years old he was referred to Casey Family Programs (private foster care placement). Casey Family Programs placed Mark with an Hispanic family - that lasted for 4 ½ years. He continued to go to school and learned English. By the time he was in 6th grade he knew English very well and did well in school. However, he didn’t really like the placement he was in because he says they were negative and told him that he shouldn’t let people control him. At the age of 14, Mark was removed from this home and placed in a white home and that is where he stayed until emancipation. He gives a lot of credit to the support he received while in Casey’s care. He did very well in 7th grade because he had tutors and received extra help from Casey (e.g., things like school supplies and computers). Mark also says that Casey has helped him become very goal oriented and budget conscious. Now, as an adult, he only wants to do the very best he can. Currently, Mark is in private aviation school and is working on fulfilling his lifelong dream of flying jets for a living. His ultimate goal is to be an airline transport pilot for United Parcel Service – the company that Jim Casey founded many years ago! Mark is involved in one of Casey Family Program’s scholarship programs to help him pay for flight school. He’s extremely optimistic about his changes. Mark is 23 years old and married. He works 6 days a week in construction and tries to fly daily and studies technical flight information about 3 hours a night. When asked what he wishes he says that he wishes that people would be more supportive to their children. He also wishes that the Dept. of Family Services had more money to give youth money for their education because that is so important. Casey gave him things that many kids in foster care don’t get – computer, tutoring and supplies. He encourages adults to invest more time in today’s youth. |
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Important life skills•Responsibility
•Goals
•Budgeting
•Work
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“What foster care has done for me…” |
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“Don’t let your past determine your future” |
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Most Importantly•Foster parents
•Do it for the right reasons
•Social workers
•Listen to the youth in care
•Forced evaluations
•Don’t send them to pink house
•You cant force into trust
•Trust must be earned
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