Alumni Reunions

For too many of us, growing up in foster care meant we missed out on many of the traditions and privileges that most people find in their families.

As a community of alumni, we want to ensure that others from foster care can experience the same traditions, opportunities, and love that most people get from their families. That is why Foster Care Alumni of America chapters around the country plan alumni reunions—“family” barbeques or holiday events—to claim these family traditions as our own.

As one of our founding members Misty Stenslie says, “Our society is built around families, and when you grow up without one, it is so easy to feel isolated and different. The need for a family doesn’t disappear once you hit adulthood—everyone needs someone to call when you have something to mourn or celebrate. We need a place to go for the holidays, and for that unshakable identity and feeling of belonging no matter what is happening. By coming together with others who share the foster care experience and finding the kinship in each other as brothers and sisters, we are making our own families and taking a stand for the ones who come after us in foster care.”

If you would you like to attend or support a family reunion like this, let us know! We can always use help planning and organizing reunions, with everything that goes into a great family gathering—decorations, food, photos, music, and fun. If you can’t attend, how about sponsoring a family reunion to cover expenses for alumni who would like to attend? For more information on organizing or attending an alumni reunion, please contact us. To sponsor a family reunion, visit our store.