Dedicated to Michael 1948-1990

FOSTERSHARE (Discussion Board)
Share Your Story

Carol Lucas

I am Carol Lucas, the founder of F.A.C.T. I am a former foster child and due to my own emotional issues stemming from my foster care experience, I felt a need for a support group, but when I went in search for one, discovered there wasn't any, so decided to form one myself. One would suppose with all the support groups available, there would be one for former foster children, especially since there are so many of us (currently about 500,000 in the foster care system in the U.S.) and we have such strong issues, but somehow we have remained hidden. It is my hope that we can come out of hiding and face our shameful past so we can "walk a bridge to healing." I dedicated F.A.C.T. to my brother Michael, who committed suicide because I believe that if there had been a safe place for him to share his pain, he wouldn't have taken his own life. It was my own pain of witnessing the long-term effects in my family that motivated me to form F.A.C.T., raise awareness, and advocate for foster children. After having worked through much anger and hurt, by the grace of God I am "walking the bridge to healing" and want to invite other former foster children to join me. "We" can do it together.

John Dunn

I am John Dunn, the co-founder of F.A.C.T. I am a former foster child and due to my own emotional issues stemming from my foster care experience -- I was in 13 homes -- I felt a need for a support group and was pleasantly surprised to find F.A.C.T. I contacted Carol, requesting permission to use some of her literature, and at the time, wanting to disregard the more spiritual material, but she didn't like the idea of us being divided and suggested we collaborate on F.A.C.T. Today I am grateful to her for persisting with me on this because as time went on, I realized that in my own life, spirituality was robbed from me and I was made angry about it. Today I am more accepting of spirituality and realize that it was certain people who hurt me, not spirituality. I am also the founder of the Foster Care Council of Canada, advocating on behalf of the approximately 88,000 foster children in Canada. It is my hope that through advocacy, future foster children will be spared the pain that thousands of foster children, including my brother and I have had to endure. I am honored to introduce F.A.C.T. to Canada and help others "walk a bridge to healing," through the grace of a Higher Power that I am beginning to become more familiar with and believe in.