Peace4Kids Invited to Sacramento; Eight New Bills Signed to Benefit State’s Foster Children

As the work of Peace4Kids draws more and more positive attention, Assemblywoman Karen Bass (D-Los Angeles) invited co-founders of Peace4Kids, Zaid Gayle and Marni Otway with seven of our foster youth/emancipated youth to Sacramento to stand beside Governor Schwarzenegger in an important ceremony toward making California “a better parent to roughly 75,000 foster children.”

Ms. Bass has worked diligently to truly impact the foster community by getting these bills signed. One of the bills creates a new council to improve collaboration among all the state agencies that serve foster children. This new agency is certain to be an essential change in improving the foster care system.

Also, among the changes affected by these bills is helping foster youth stay in touch with their brothers and sisters. Peace4Kids has long realized the importance of this, and already provides an opportunity for siblings to get together on a regular basis even when they no longer live together.

Miranda Parker, a member of the Peace4Kids family and a foster child, attended the signing and said “It was one of the happiest days of my life.” All the kids were thrilled to meet the Governor and Assemblywoman Karen Bass, realizing that the many difficulties of being in the foster care system are now receiving much more attention. Several dozen foster children cheered during the Capital ceremony.

Statistics point to the serious outcomes for foster kids leaving the system at 18 years old. About ¼ are homeless, ¼ are in jail or prison and 1/3 are on welfare. The new Peace4Kids Emancipation Services Program addresses these issues with an aggressive plan to support every foster youth moving toward emancipation to improve these conditions addressing their need for individual attention to avoid the pitfalls.

Ms. Bass said these new laws and budgets will “directly improve the quality of life for California’s most vulnerable children.” Peace4Kids was honored to be a part of these landmark proceedings.

Please take a moment and consider making a gift to Peace4Kids. Your tax-deductible contribution will help us work closer with foster and at-risk youth, and guide their journey into adulthood. It is the only way we will be able to expand and sustain our programs.