Group forms to aid kids aging out of foster system

MURFREESBORO -- More than 23,000 children are aging out of foster care in the United States, according to a statistic from ChildWelfare.gov. Many of them have no family ties, no support and nowhere to go.

“How can we expect our world to change when children who are still traumatized by their past haven’t healed?” said Andrea Bell, a social worker who is one of a group forming to aid in helping the children in Rutherford County who are aging out of the system.

The group of concerned community members is partnering with AGAPE of Nashville, an agency that offers adoptive and counseling services, to host a foster care interest session at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at North Boulevard Church of Christ, 1112 N. Rutherford Blvd.

“It’s not an official ministry yet, but we’re trying to see if there are families interested in fostering as well as mentoring these kids aging out of the system,” Bell said.

Renee Sproles, a church member, said she was moved to start a group after reading an article earlier this year regarding the alarming number of teens who leave foster care with nowhere to go.

“There’s such an overwhelming need to take care of orphans and widows, and that’s what (Christians have) been called to do. I think we have an opportunity to mobilize people around these efforts,” Sproles said.

At 18, regardless of where a child is, they will no longer be supported by the state system, Bell said. Often the family they are staying with is no longer able or willing to care for these teens.

The teens are vulnerable to everything from homelessness to human trafficking and unwed pregnancies.

“Sometimes they don’t even have anywhere to go for Thanksgiving or Christmas, and that cannot be with all these Christian homes that these kids have nowhere to go,” Sproles said.

Susan Kerbo, a foster and adoptive parent in Murfreesboro, has been mentoring a 19-year-old mother of two who aged out of the system. She’s built a friendship and trust with the young woman and meets with her regularly.

Sproles said more people to mentor on that sort of level are needed to help the kids aging out of foster care. She said families who are empty-nesters, or have older teens, are perfect candidates for mentoring the teens who age out of the system.

Training is a huge aspect for families to learn how to help these children, so the group decided to host the AGAPE class. Sproles said the state offers a variety of programs. But if a teen doesn’t have anywhere to go and doesn’t have support, navigating a complicated system may seem daunting. So they’ll just give up trying.

“I’m not trained in this, but all I know is we need to do something about it,” Sproles said. “If they are not getting adopted, we need to be mentors for them. … What I’m seeing is everybody can play a part.”

Contact Nancy De Gennaro at 615-278-5148 or degennaro@dnj.com, or follow her on Twitter @DNJMama.