Program prepares kids for life after foster care

There are many organizations and programs in the community that focus on rescuing children in abusive or dangerous situations and help put them into foster care.

But as is often the case, once teenagers leave foster care, they are left to their own devices and are often unprepared for the realities of life.

"We think once a kid is removed from an abusive environment and placed in foster care, they've been rescued," said Cindy Mericle, founder and director of Love Fosters Hope. "Unfortunately, the rescue is not always so wonderful. They have not been adopted out of foster care, and that makes them feel like something is wrong with them. It's a hard, discouraging life."

Love Fosters Hope was established two years ago, but just obtained its nonprofit status last fall. The organization started out offering a Teen Reach Adventure Camp for children in foster care between the ages of 12 and 15. However, Mericle said she soon realized the plight of older teens in foster care was too evident to ignore. Last summer she started Bridge at Camp Hope for teens ages 16 to 19.

The camps offer horseback riding, kayaking, archery, fishing, campfires, and other events and activities typical of overnight summer camps. Knowing that many foster homes release teens after they turn 18, Mericle said the Bridge camp is largely focused on preparing campers for life after foster care.

"These kids are not being prepared for independent living and many of them are afraid of aging out of the system," she said. "Of all the campers we've had, I can only think of one who had a driver's license. They are asking us to help them prepare."

In addition to providing fun activities, Love Fosters Hope provides Bridge campers with shoes, dresses for girls and khakis for boys to use for job and college interviews. Counselors teach them how to change a tire, how to cook and how to tie a tie, among other life skills.

In an effort to encourage older teens to consider going to college, Mericle said the Bridge camp will take place at a Houston university campus this summer. Campers will be allowed to stay in dorms and experience what life is like in a college environment.

In addition to the camps, which take place in the summer, Love Fosters Hope runs a year-round mentoring program to help foster care children form stable relationships and continue to develop skills that will help them in later years. Everyone involved with Love Fosters Hope, from the camp counselors to the mentors, is a volunteer, Mericle said. Summer camps offer a 2-to-1 camper to counselor ratio.

"We are pouring into the kids," Miracle said. "Everything is geared toward sending the message that they are significant, worthy and loved. It's been very exciting to see our intentions play out and the impact it has on the kids."`

Love Fosters Hope, 25333 Gosling Road, Spring, 281-433-9992, www.lovefostershope.org