THE FOUNDATION

Shane Salter noticed a significant absence of services and support for abused and neglected children nationally. His years of growing up in foster care, then becoming a teen dad and single parent, re-marrying and adopting special needs children, guided him through twenty years of reforming child welfare and ultimately one unanswered question; how can we curb the cyclical process of children moving in and out of foster homes and the juvenile justice system? After seeing the same solutions packaged differently and getting the same results, he took a look at the National CASA model established in 1976 and chartered a course based on the premise that if you adapt this model so that it is relevant and responsive to the complex issues children and care providers are facing in urban centers, the concept of people believing in people could penetrate bureaucracies, restore hope, and transform lives -- one child at a time.

So in 2002 before accepting a brief appointment with the Mayor as Chief of Staff for Children, Youth Families and Elders, Shane gathered a few community leaders with and with a seed grant from the National CASA Association, he founded CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates) for Children of DC. The idea that caring adults could volunteer their time to become well trained and then support abused or neglected children has brought about tremendous change in the lives of hundreds of children in DC. CASA volunteers are ordinary citizens. They are appointed by judges as officers of the court and represent the best interests of each child.

"Volunteers aren't beholden to the systemic constraints as paid employees may be. So the careful monitoring and depth of information that a CASA delivers to the judges has the potential of allowing children to move through the child welfare system safely and effectively," according to Salter.

With support from caring adults, neglected children can realize that they have unlimited opportunities. When children start to hope for the future, it means they are letting go of the hopelessness that can lead to deviant activity. Salter told the story of a 16–year–old boy who was living in a crowded and unsupportive group home. A CASA saw something special in the young man and felt strongly that if the young man had a loving family to encourage him that he could begin thriving. Soon, the perfect family came into the boy's life. Salter and CASA for Children of DC did what they do best and worked with the child welfare agency to make it possible for the boy to join the family. After only a few weeks of being a part of a loving and supportive environment, the boy started dreaming and setting goals: he wanted to go to college, get a job, and start a family of his own one day. A few years later Salter received an invitation to attend the boy's graduation, and he happily accepted. Over the years, the two men kept in touch, and one day Salter and the CASA staff were surprised and delighted to receive a $500 donation from the young man, who had become a successful and independent adult.

"I feel like we took something from nothing and made it into what it is today," Salter said. "That feeling gives me the greatest sense of purposefulness and I can't imagine feeling that way if I were doing anything else."

This is why after twenty years of working to reform child welfare, for my 45th birthday I asked my family and friends to celebrate throughout the year with me by helping to launch the Shane Salter for Kids Foundation. You can donate any amount of money with the numeral four and five (4/5) throughout 2009 and I pledge to give my first year of royalties of the new release of Fostering Hope scheduled for March of 2009 towards the endowment. That's from $.45cents to $45,000.

To learn more about the new foundation, please visit the web page at www.shanesalterfoundation.org.