From The Wave Publication

LOS ANGELES — David had a troubled childhood. His parents, who were both addicted to drugs, abandoned him when he was just 2. With no relatives to take him in and searching for the love and sense of belonging he had never received, David soon found himself falling in with the wrong crowd. Before long, he had joined his newfound friends in committing petty thefts.

David’s illegal activities finally caught up with him and he was sentenced to the care of the Probation  Child Welfare Division, where kids ages 14 to 21 are placed in foster care due to their troubles with  the law. 

There are many stories like David’s, a fictional characterization of a wayward youth. David’s path may  have continued if not for Forever Friends, a Los Angeles County Probation Department child welfare  program that has been in operation for more than 20 years. 

Forever Friends partners youth on probation with caring adults who provide them with a strong and  loving support system and offer them the guidance, love and affection they need so that they can mature  into productive adults. Currently Forever Friends works with 1,000 teenagers throughout Los Angeles County. 

“Recruitment efforts for the Forever Friends program have been airing on KJLH radio over a year,”  said Lisa Campbell-Motton, the county’s child welfare director for over 20 years. “The response from  the public has been tremendous.” 

“Most of these kids don’t have an adult in their lives,” said Mark Daley, president of Daley Solutions  and a marketer and consultant to the county Probation Department’s child welfare division. 

“The youths will test you,” she said. “They have had so many people coming in and out of their lives  that they assume the adult is only caring for them because they are getting paid. But the Forever Friends  program was developed so that caring adults can provide a nurturing and stable relationship for the  youth.

“We need people to stick with these youths through thick and thin because they have experienced a  great amount of trauma,” Campbell-Motton added. “It takes a long time to break down the barriers  and protective walls that the youths have built up. Usually, by the time that the foster parent or the  Forever Friend is about to give up on the youth, that’s usually when the Forever Friend or foster parent  is on the verge of breaking down those protective walls.” 

“We never try to force a match on the young people. Instead we let the volunteers get to know a few  of the youths. Ultimately, the volunteer and a connection with a young person will emerge and they  will start spending more time together,” Daley said. “It starts with visits to the facility and spreads over  time to hikes, ball games, movies, etc. Our hope is that the young person doesn’t age-out of foster care  alone. Youth who age out of foster care are disproportionately represented in our homeless population. 

“The Forever Friends are like foster aunts or uncles,” he added. “They help the young people with life  skills and teach them such necessities as how to do laundry or balancing a checkbook. They celebrate their victories like graduations or weddings. And most importantly, they let them know they are loved  and worthy.” 

Read the full article at Los Angeles Wave.