No Longer a “Kid of the System”

In a world where the struggles of disadvantaged youth often go unnoticed, there exists a beacon of hope in the form of our staff that work directly with our children. One of whom is Sara Morris, Program Coordinator for one of our Palmetto Campus’s residential programs. Sara’s youthful sense of fashion, fun-loving personality, and unique experience of growing up in the foster system helps her connect with our residents who have experienced various levels of trauma during their short lives.

Sara was born and raised in Heidelburg, Germany, which at the time, was the headquarters for United States military operations. She grew up surrounded by Americans and enjoyed their friendship and learning about American culture, food, language, and music which later influenced her decision to move to the U.S. in her 30s.

During Sara’s teenage years, she grew up in Germany’s foster care system where she was placed in several group homes, often moving her personal belongings in a trash bag.  She experienced firsthand what it was like to be disadvantaged and looked down upon as a “kid of the system” which was considered different from “normal people” in society.

When Sara was 16, the foster system allowed her to move into her own apartment as she completed a dual enrollment school and work program. This allowed her to work while she obtained a degree in office administration. The director of one of her former group homes contacted her and explained she had the potential of becoming a good social worker. He offered her social work training experience with his agency while she worked as the office administrator of his group home for several years.

“I enjoyed the field of social work. It opened my mind and helped me better understand my experience growing up in the system,” Sarah explained. “My life experience also helped me to have a multifaceted way of thinking. During my studies I related best to therapeutic approaches which concentrated on understanding an individual's behavior so that I could help them learn healthier ways to express themselves. I believe that each person deserves to be treated with dignity and possesses unique potential, strengths, and interests. I have adopted these philosophies into my own approach of working with the residents and staff in our program.”

Sara’s main responsibility as a Program Coordinator is to ensure the youth we care for and our program staff feel supported and safe. Her daily routine consists of a variation of writing reports, staff supervision and training, and resident meetings. Sara enjoys creating learning experiences for our residents that aid them in establishing necessary independent living skills. She also supplies them with resources that aid in the process of coping with the trauma they have experienced in hopes of helping them grow into healthy and responsible citizens.

Some of the daily challenges Sara encounters are influenced by the growing number of residents who have experienced multiple placements within the foster system. This compounds the trauma they have already suffered and often leads to an increase in disruptive behaviors, psychological challenges, and a lack of trust.

“Our mission is to provide a nurturing, structured, and safe environment that fosters a sense of trustworthiness which is key in building rapport with our residents,” Sara explains. “I believe that children have a need to belong and if that need is not fulfilled in a positive way, they often resort to misbehavior. We understand the necessity of expressing God’s unconditional love to youth with challenging behaviors. Our goal is to accept them as they are, welcome them, and let change happen organically with time.”

“It takes a village to help meet our youth’s needs and to provide them with opportunities to experience a more normalized life while they’re in a residential program,” Sara said. You can help us meet this need by praying daily for our staff and residents, connecting with our campuses to explore volunteer opportunities, or providing sponsorships for field trips (zoo, aquarium, etc.) and special event opportunities.

We understand that our programs are only as effective as the staff who help run them and so we are grateful to be blessed with remarkable individuals, like Sara, who support and care for our resilient youth.