MA Network of Foster Care Alumni Creating Intergenerational Community

WORCESTER– Julian Darku, 20, is an artist in Springfield, loves cars and is a connoisseur of shoes. Ruby Pollack is 74, grandmother to five, and manages a retirement home in Grafton. Twenty-one year old Dakota Roundtree-Swain, a Sociology and English major at Emmanuel College, is an eternal scholar, Wampanoag and pun enthusiast.

In addition to their diverse interests and stages in life, these individuals share a bond that spans generations, race, ethnicity and gender identity. They are foster care alumni.

“Alumni of foster care are spouses, parents, veterans, mentors, and college graduates who are just setting out on their own,” said Grace Hilliard-Koshinsky, Project Director for the Massachusetts Network of Foster Care Alumni (MassNFCA). “We are your neighbors, colleagues and community leaders. Essentially, we are alumni of out-of-home placement looking to give back by creating an intergenerational network of support for each and every one of us.”

"You're a foster care alum if you've experienced foster care, group care, kinship care, were adopted or guardianed after foster care. " said Project Director Hilliard-Koshinsky. "Foster care alumni are also young adults who are continuing in DCF care after age 18."

This statewide nonprofit organization creates community and opportunity for current and former foster youth through education, employment, service and leadership.

Across Massachusetts, regional MassNFCA chapters are reaching out to fellow alumni of all ages and backgrounds through meet-and-greets, employment networking events and social gatherings throughout the year. In November, the annual Alumni Thanksgiving brings members of all five regions together for a memorable evening in the Hogan Campus Ballroom at College of the Holy Cross. In June, the organization will host its first annual Alumni Family Fun Day in Oxford for all five regions, and a cooking social at Minuteman Career Technical High School in Lexington as a kickoff event for the northeast region.

“This organization can be a great asset for those in foster care, to talk and learn from each other,” said State Rep. Donato, a foster care alum and member of the MassNFCA Board of Directors. “They can also see that their goals can be achieved.”

MassNFCA was created following a feasibility study commissioned by the Department of Children and Families under former DCF Commissioner Angelo McClain. For the past several years, MassNFCA has continued to grow through support from DCF and the New England Association of Child Welfare Commissioners and Directors (NEACWCD). Membership is comprised of alumni, friends of foster care and sponsors.The organization is housed at Judge Baker Children's Center.

Volunteer opportunities exist on regional event committees and the board of directors. Business and nonprofit communities are welcomed to partner on activities such as employment events, educational programs and skill building workshops. In January National Grid hosted an Employment Networking Event on job opportunities within the utility company, and MassNFCA hopes to create similar events with other industries.

Henry Avinger, 23, a foster care alum, signed a voluntary with the department when his custody ended at 18. He now serves the organization as a member of the Boston event committee. “I joined MassNFCA to give back,” said Avinger, who is preparing to enroll in college this fall. “MassNFCA is a place where alumni can share their experiences and come together and help each other through all phases of life.” In addition to supporting young adults as they navigate through college and the workforce, the nonprofit organization is filling a need for older alumni as well.

Pollock, who reunited with her four siblings as adults, now serves on the MassNFCA Board of Directors and is a member of the central region event committee. There have been “huge changes” in foster care since her childhood in the Boston area during the 1940s and 1950s. “We’re miles and miles away from where we were when I was in care,” she said.

“My siblings and I never knew any other foster kids until this organization. I think there is an emotional support when we’re all together because we’ve all been in some part of that foster care system. We all have the goal of improving things. It makes me feel really good when I know another alum is getting a lot out of this group.”

Western region event committee member Vaughn Andrews-McKay, 31, said the organization provides members with a sounding board when dealing with friendships, relationships or situations at work. “A community of alumni can help each other with goal setting which is a daily task that you need accountability for especially as a transition age alum. Transitioning alumni need that older alum to say, ‘You may not know right now, but this is not a smart choice and I've been there. I know how this goes.’ We can be that stable support for one another.”

For more information, e-mail manetworkfostercarealumni@gmail.com, call Grace Hilliard-Koshinsky at 617-278-4272 or visit www.massnfca.org to find out about upcoming events!

PHOTO CAPTION: Members of the Massachusetts Network of Foster Care Alumni during the fifth annual Alumni Thanksgiving Dinner held at College of the Holy Cross in Worcester.