It is with great excitement and enthusi-

asm that the Sierra Association of Foster

Families, Board of Directors, Executive

Director, and Staff present our Academic

Youth Newsletter. Every other month we

will feature a new and exciting topic re-

lated to youth and academic learning.

This month we are proud to focus on

―Fostering Literacy.‖ This Newsletter is the

first of its kind and strives to educate and

help foster youth achieve academic suc-

cess. Issues will be posted on our web-

site, www.saffnn.org, and mailed

throughout Nevada. Each issue will in-

clude helpful information, interesting arti-

cles, educational insights, and most im-

portantly submissions from our readers!

We are looking for original poems, stories,

artwork, and articles submitted by foster

children and teens! All submissions will

be considered and can be emailed to our

Support Services Coordinator at shelbyy-

oung@charter.net or mailed to:

SAFF

3376 Lakeside Ct.

Reno, NV 89509

We will only include

your first name in

order to ensure your

privacy.

Thank you!

Joseph Galata,

Executive Director,

Sierra Association of Foster Families

Volume 1, Issue 1

February 2009

SIERRA ASSOCIATION OF FOSTER FAMILIES

BI-MONTHLY ACADEMIC NEWSLETTER

Welcome to the SAFF Academic Newsletter

FOSTERING “LITERACY”

Have you ever thought about: What sort of food would people eat in the restaurant if the chef couldn‘t read? What kind of cars would people drive if the auto mechanics couldn‘t read? How would sick people become healthy if a doctor couldn‘t read? How would people enjoy watching TV shows and films if the actors couldn‘t read? Where would people go if airplane pilots couldn‘t read? How would people know who won the baseball game if umpires couldn‘t read? How would people put money into their savings accounts if bank tellers couldn‘t read?

WITHOUT THE ABILITY TO READ, PEOPLE CAN‘T BE SUCCESSFUL. TO BE SUCCESSFUL AS AN ADULT, CHILDREN AND TEENAGERS NEED TO BE SUCCESSFUL STUDENTS

IN SCHOOL. 37 MILLION AMERICAN ADULTS CAN‘T READ. DON‘T MAKE IT 37 MILLION PLUS ONE!

Stay in school and READ! READ! READ!

LITERACY is the Key To Your Success

Our Favorite Books 2

Reading/Writing Poetry 4

Reading/Understanding 5

Arts in Education 5

Felicia, A Teenage Artist 6

What the Future Holds 7

Serial Story—Joseph Galata 8

In SAFF‘s Next Issue 9

Tutoring 10

Thank You‘s 10

Inside this issue:

A 5 year study has revealed that over 37 million Americans can‘t read! Books can be our best friends. Books don‘t gossip about us or hurt our feelings. Books give us hope, knowledge, enjoyment, happiness, and a sense of security. Books both enhance and encourage our imagination. Books allow us to discover who we are, where we came from, and where we might want to be going to be fulfilled and successful people. The Sierra Associa-tion of Foster Families loves books and SAFF is so privileged to have Borders Book Store in Reno as a partner. They have donated thousands of books to give to our foster families. Here are a few of our All-TIME FAVORITES:

Joseph Galata – Executive Director of SAFF 1. WHEN ELEPHANTS WEEP: THE EMOTIONAL LIVES OF ANIMALS by Jeffrey Moussaieff Masson /Susan McCarthy. ―Love, joy, anger, fear, shame, compassion, and loneliness of animals and how people treat them.‖ 2. NARCISSUS AND GOLDMUND by Herman Hessse. ―The Medieval German story of a teen-age boy who wanders around aimlessly in search for happiness, and the inspiring teacher, Narcissus, who teaches the boy the meaning of life.‖ 3. DRACULA by Bram Stoker. ―An epistolary novel composed of letters, telegrams, and diary entries about the unnecessary grief people inflict upon the people they love the most.‖ 4. DOCTOR ZHIVAGO by Boris Pasternak. ―An historical drama set in the 1917 Russian Revo-lution about a medical doctor who is also a poet, and how his life is torn apart by forces be-yond his control.‖

5. GREAT EXPECTATIONS by Charles Dickens. ―Written in semi-autobiographical style, it is the story of Pip, a young orphan who learns about gratitude, love, and social mobility by making amendments rather than seeking revenge.‖

Bridget Speer of Washoe County Social Services:

1. THE SECRET GARDEN by Frances Hodgson Burnett. ―Mary is a sad 9 year old whose neglectful parents have

died. She is sent to live with a strange uncle in a gothic castle where she discovers a secret of another child in the castle.‖

2. A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY by John Irving. ―A dwarfish boy with a strange voice who believes he is spe-

cial, despite his frailties and vulnerabilities.‖

3. THE CATCHER IN THE RYE by J.D. Salinger. ―The story of a few days in the life of a 16 year old boy who is ex-

pelled from school.‖

4. THE SECRET LIFE OF BEES by Sue Monk Kidd. ―14 year old Lily, neglected by her father, sets out to discover

the mystery of her deceased mother‘s life.‖ 5. THE LOVELY BONES by Alice Sebold, ―Susie Salmon is adjusting to her new life in heaven while watching her family and friends on earth coping with their grief.‖

Mary Sondgroth, Foster and Adoptive Mom, SAFF Board of Directors Officer:

1. IN THIS SIGN by Joanne Greenburg. ―A novel of a family whose love and courage enables them to survive in

the world of the deaf.‖

2. THE PEACEABLE KINGDOM BY Ardyth Kennelly. ―An historical novel about women living their lives by over-

coming horrendous problems as they journey to Utah in search for spiritual happiness.‖

3. THE BEAN TREES by Barbara Kingsolver. ―Whimsical tale about a feisty young lady that runs out of gas on a

cross-country escape in search for happiness. Meeting a Cherokee Indian woman with a baby, this story speaks of motherhood, responsibility, independence, and commitment. ―

4. PIGS IN HEAVEN by Barbara Kingsover. ―The sequel to THE BEAN TREES, this story is about healing from psy-

chological marks of abuse, poverty, and despair in search for justice and compassion.‖

5. COLONY by Ann Rivers Seddon. ―A love story of a 19-year-old bride who is an outsider in her colony. Beauti-ful inside and out, the young lady discovers the powerful beauty of being an inspiration to everyone in her com-munity.‖

A favorite book is something we read more than once. When was the last time you read your favorite books? What are your favorite books that you would like other people to read? Have you ever bought a book for someone as a birthday present? Have you asked someone to give you a book for your birthday present? Do you have a special place in your house for your books? Do you have library card? Have you ever thought of writing a book?

P A G E 2 F O S T E R I N G “ L I T E R A C Y ”

OUR FAVORITE BOOKS

Kelly Jesch, Washoe County School District

1. A WALK IN THEWOODS by Bill Bryson. ―A comedic adventure of two men hiking the Appalachian Train.‖

2. LIFE OF PI by Yann Martel. ―A boy‘s nightmare with a tiger.‖

3. A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN BY Betty Smith. ―A young girl grows up in the early 20th

century seeking

knowledge while living in an alcoholic family.‖

4. TENDER AT THE BONE by Ruth Reichl. ―Though she grew up to be editor of Gourmet Magazine and food

editor of the New York Times, her upbringing was anything but glamours.‖

5. CHARLOTTE‘S WEB by E. Brooks, and PETER RABBIT, and JEMIMAH PUDDLEDUCK by Beatrix Potter.

Tom Murtha, Washoe County Social Services and Washoe County Model Family Court Rep.

1. THINGS FALL APART by Chimura Achebe. ―This story follows the life of a young boy in the Nige-

rian Igbo Tribe who is determined not to end up a failure like his father.‖

2. BILL RUSSELL, A BIOGRAPHY by Murray R. Nelson. ―The story of the first African-American to

coach the NBA.‖

3. THE AMAZING SPIDER MAN by Steve Ditko.

4. CINDERELMO, A CINDERELLA STORY FEATURING SEASAME STREET‘S ELMO.

5. GRIMMS FAIRY TALES featuring classic tales such as RAPUNZEL, HANSEL AND GRETEL, LITTLE RED RIDING HOOD, and TOM THUMB.

Danila MacDonald, Foster Mom:

1. THE LAST LECTURE by Randy Pausch and Jeffrey Zaslow. ― Professor Rndy Pausch, a computer science teacher at Carnegie Mellon University, is dying. His last lecture ―Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams,‖ is about the importance of overcoming life‘s obstacles and ―seizing every moment because time is all you have.‖

2. THE HIDING PLACE by Corrie Ten Boom. ―Ms. Ten Boom is a woman admired around the world for her cour-

age and forgiveness. During World War 11, she risked her life to help Jews escape the Nazis. She was caught and imprisoned in the horrible concentration camps, but survived to tell the world how love and faith triumphs over evil and despair.‖

3. TWILIGHT by Stephanie Meyer. ―A story about teenagers, one a vampire who wants to be human, this is a love story, thriller, mystery, and romance about defying our instincts, and doing everything we can to prevent hurting the people we love.‖

Kristy Baker, Washoe County Social Services and member of SAFF‘s Board of Directors:

1. ON THE BEACH by Neil Shute. ―The shocking story about the innocent victims of an acci-

dental war who are living out their last days hoping for a miracle.‖

2. MY ANTONIA by Willa Cather. ―Set in Nebraska in the late 19th

century, Antonia is the

daughter of a Bohemian immigrant family planning to farm on untamed land. The story of her

struggles is told through the eyes of an orphan boy who lives with his grandparents.‖

3. THE KING MUST DIE by Mary Renault. ―The story of the mythical hero Theseus, a slayer of monsters.‖

4. ONE FAT SUMMER by Robert Lipsyte. ―Little Bobbie Mark isn‘t so little. He weights 200 pounds. During a funny and tragic summer vacation, Bobbie encounters characters and incidents that show him how wonderful life can be despite dangers.‖

5. THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA by C.S. Lewis. ―Four children travel to a world of fascinating characters and learn how to handle timeless issues of good versus evil and faith versus despair.‖

P A G E 3 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

OUR FAVORITE BOOKS CONTINUED.. .

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1 P A G E 4

READING CAN HELP YOU

UNDERSTAND YOUR WORLD

If you are sad or confused about being separated from your parents, you might want to read DUMBO or BAMBI or PINOCCHIO.

If you are jealous about someone, you might want to read FRANCES by Russell Habar.

If you are grieving because someone you loved has died, you might want to read BABAR THE ELEPHANT by Jean de Brunhoff.

If you are worried you don‘t have a creative imagination, you might want to read THE TALES OF LITTLE PIG ROBINSON by Beatrix Potter.

If you want to read a good book about * The importance of telling the truth

* The joy of being thankful * The good results of doing good things

You might want to read the books by British author Enid Blyton, such as THE MAGIC WALKING STICK, THE SEA OF ADVENTURE, FAMOUS FIVE, SIX COUSINS AGAIN,

FIVE GO TO MYSTERY MANOR.

Do you know the three authors whose works are translated into more languages than any other authors?

1) SHAKESPEARE 2) AGATHA CHRISTIE and 3) EDITH BLYTON.

ARTS IN EDUCATION Writing and reading creative short stories, novels, plays, screenplays, poems, and children‘s books is a framework for educating children and teens:

The literary arts helps youth to

1) learn and analyze effective strategies for criti-cal thinking,

2) Expand vocabulary,

3) Convey emotional feelings productively.

4) Connect cultures,

5) Use systematic processes to gain knowledge,

6) Appreciate/understand their community.

One way to tell stories is also by drawing and painting. Here are a few samples of art work by foster youth in Nevada. Each of these drawings tells a specific story about the artist and his/her life. Can you write your own

story about one of these drawings?

MAGIC POWERS

By Samantha If you had magic powers what would you do?

Would you get involved in a show? Would you heal the sick?

Make a child’s dreams come true? What would you do?

I would take mine and Help the Homeless. I am not the kind who would use it for greed.

I would feed the orphans in Africa. I would give houses to ones who couldn’t afford them.

I would give cancer patients their lives back. I would help the sick get better.

Create a shot or medicine for AIDS, So no one dies.

I would help teen parents grow up and go to school and live, A productive life.

I would make it so no drugs, Are anywhere to be found.

I would get my life back with my mom, And make it so my dad didn’t leave me and die.

Even though it’s top priority, To me, I would help them, then me.

GO HOME By Lexi This is for cheaters, fakers, and liars. Drop the Act! Go home. Go back. Or you’ll never turn back. It maybe fun at first But your hurting inside with that guilt in your heart. It’s got to be heavy, right? So Drop the Act! Go home. Go back to your loved ones. Get loved again by them and be happy. For those who can’t turn back and think you can’t You’re wrong! You can. You’re just scared or being rejected. Go home and start fresh. Start all over. ‘Cause you can. You just don’t want to let go. Well, guest what? Having love, trust, friendship, and friends again is worth it. It’s better than pain and guilt. And don’t forget that family is there waiting for you. GO HOME!

Do you think Samantha and Lexi did good work using ALLEGORIES, METAPHORS, RYHYMES, SYMBOLS? Which

element didn‘t they use in their poems? If you write poetry, send a few of your poems to us.

P A G E 5 F O S T E R I N G “ L I T E R A C Y ”

Have you ever read a poem? Written a poem?

Reading and writing poems can be both fun and educational. A poem takes words, ideas, and feelings and puts them into literary form.

A few elements found in poems are:

1. ALLEGORY... a whole world of symbols. Tells a story that can be read symbolically. Did you know that the famous story WIZARD OF OZ was originally written as an allegorical poem?

2. METPHAOR … a metaphor immediately compares one object or idea with another. The meaning of the poem often depends on the success of a metaphor. One of the most famous poets who specialized in the use of metaphors was William Shakespeare who wrote ROMEO AND JULIET.

3. RHYME…are two sounds sound-ing alike. In a poem, the vowel sound of two words are the same, but the consonants are different. Do you know what A-E-I-O-U are? VOWELS. What letters of the alphabet are con-sonants?

4. SYMBOL… a symbol suggests

something. Symbols do not have absolute meaning. A fine example of a symbol in a story is SNOW WHITE. What is the symbol? An APPLE, of course, because the apple symbolizes what? DANGER.

If you like to read and write poems, perhaps you will find inspiration from the

following two poems, written by Nevada

teenagers in foster care.

READING/WRITING

POETRY

Felicia is a teenager in foster care, living in Reno, Nevada. She attends the Sierra Association of Foster Families‘ TEEN SUPPORT GROUP.

She is an amazing artist..

Interviewer: How long have you been in foster care?

Felicia: Since I was 12 years old. I‘m preparing to graduate from high school this year, so I‘ve been a foster kid for a long time.

Interviewer: Where did you get the talent to draw?

Felicia: I started drawing when I was 11 years old. My biological mom was my inspiration. One day I found half a picture she had drawn. I tried to copy it, over and over. At first I thought that I‘m no good and have no talent. But I kept trying and trying and then saw I could draw. I did have talent.

Interviewer: It‘s nice to hear your biological mom was your inspi-ration for your artistry.

Felicia: My mom has a few problems, but who doesn‘t? She is my mom and I love her. And she is my inspiration to become a professional artist. I also listen to music for inspiration. When I listen to music, I see images. I draw what I see in my mind.

Interviewer: I think your drawings are majestic and powerful.

Felicia: I usually do them in full color, but now I‘m experimenting with black and white. I want to focus on details.

Interviewer: What do you plan to do after graduating from high school and leaving foster care?

Felicia: Go to college and study graphic art. I think I‘d like to become an art designer of video games. Maybe work with Disney Productions. I need scholarships to go to college.

Interviewer: You are the young lady who told me to start reading Graphic Novels, and I went to the public library and saw so many graphic novels. And there are so many at Borders Book Store. The librarians and the sales clerks tell me that teenagers and children adore graphic novels. I love reading them!:

Felicia: ―Because it‘s the way the characters are drawn that tells the story.‖

Interviewer: What other talents do you have?

Felicia: I write poetry. But what I do best is draw. I think it‘s so impor-

tant to discover your talents when you are young, so you can spend

time and energy learning to perfect your talents.

Interviewer: I do believe 100% that you are going to be a major suc-cess.

Felicia: Of course, I‘ll be a success. I have no intentions of being a failure.

P A G E 6 F O S T E R I N G “ L I T E R A C Y ”

FELICIA, A TEENAGE ARTIST

By Felicia, Age 17

By Felicia, Age 17

P A G E 7 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

WHAT THE FUTURE HOLDS:

SCHOOL ACHIEVEMENTS AND EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS STORIES OF

NEVADA’S FOSTER YOUTH

RICKY Ricky, an 18 year old high school student in Winnemucca, who is enrolling at the University of Ne-vada-Reno after high school graduation in May, has achieved a major success. Rickey was selected to represent NEVADA FOOTBALL IN THE 21

ST ANNUAL ―DOWN UNDER SPORTS TOURNAMENT‖ in Australia!

Ricky will play high school tournaments in June and July in Australia, along with athletes from around the world. This is once in a lifetime opportunity for each high school student who was selected to represent his/her state and country.

In short, RICKY WILL SERVE AS A HIGH SCHOOL AMBASSADOR FROM NEVADA. The international football tour-nament is sponsored by International Sports Specialists, Inc.

CAMERON AND DYLAN Cameron and Dylan, middle and high school boys in Reno, MADE LAST SEMESTER‘S HONOR ROLL AND DEAN‘S LIST after upgrading their academic skills with an incredible tutor from the Sierra Associa-tion of Foster Families. The tutor is named Warren. He‘s a first year teacher at the I Can Do Anything

Charter High School. In the afternoons, he goes to the foster home of Cameron and Dylan, and together, they work on math, English, and other subjects.

AMY Amy is surely on her way to a successful career in media and journalism. SAFF sponsored this 17 year old teenager to take media classes at the SNCAT television station in Reno. Completing 3 weeks of classes in directing, writing, editing, filming television studio broadcasts, Amy received her certification. Amy also appeared with SAFF‘s Executive Director, Joseph, on a radio show ―TEENS IN FOSTER CARE.‖ When the ra-dio host asked her ―What you would you change about foster care?‖ Amy replied, ―I wish people in the public would stop saying ‗I‘m sorry‘ when they hear I‘m in foster care. Why should they feel sorry for me? I love being in foster care. It has saved my life. I have great foster parents. I have a great social worker. I have stability in my life.‖

KIYAH A young lady named Kiyah has been accepted into the ARTS IN MOTION HIP HOP DANCE PRO-GRAM. She is now in classes and rehearsals for a major production in Washoe County. Her social worker sure is proud of her as are her foster parents!

JESSICA

Elementary school student Jessica is now a full pledge GIRL SCOUT.

There are so many EDUCATIONAL SUCCESS STORIES OF STUDENTS IN NEVADA‘S FOS-TER CARE SYSTEM. If you have a success story about yourself that you would like to

share, don‘t be shy. TELL US YOUR SUCCESS STORY FOR THE NEXT ISSUE!

Joseph Galata, SAFF ED, Mary

Sondgroth, SAFF Board Officer,

and Mrs. Heiner at the Alice Taylor

Elementary School in Sparks, NV.

Mrs. Heiner‘s 5th & 6th grade class at Alice Taylor Elementary school sponsored a Christ-

mas gift project for local foster youth. Joseph and Mary thanked the students and shared

with them entertaining and educational stories about the history of foster care, the roles of

social workers, judges, foster parents, and the happiness everyone experiences when a fos-

ter child gets to be re-united with their parents or gets a new family because of adoption!

Mary shared her personal stories as a foster and adoptive mom. Joseph shared with the

class how they should read all of the books written by Charles Dickens because he cared so

much about children who didn't have parents or couldn't live with their parents in the

1800's. The class participated in a very intelligent discussion on how wonderful foster care is

in the 21st century as compared to the time of orphans "way back then when Mr. Dickens

was alive." Mary and Joseph had a great time with Mrs. Heiner's students because the stu-

dents are so smart and caring, and obviously very good readers, since the class knew so

much about foster care ( used the dictionary to find the meaning of "fostering.")

COMMUNITY SUCCESS!

overflowing energy in his body than for Pedro‘s encouragement. The thirteen-year-old mid-fielder, aware of the shaking waves of en-ergy in his stomach, was staring at the formation of teenage soccer players in bright blue and white uniforms standing about ten feet in front of him, each worried boy des-perately hoping to block the twirl-ing ball from Pedro‘s kick. Year after year, it was always the Cyclones finishing the season in fourth or third place. But this Au-gust, the Cyclones and the Volca-noes were the only undefeated teams in the state. The hot after-noon tournament on the green field in Reno pitted Coach Adder-man‘s team against the Volcanoes – the state champions for the past six years. At the beginning of the season, neither Pedro nor his foster parents had much confidence the Cyclones could improve enough to be a final-ist team in the State Championship. Even less than an hour ago, just a few minutes be-fore the game began, Pedro whispered to his best friend, Fluffy, a two-year-old brown and white Wire Haired Terrier, ―Well, at least this year we did well enough to play in the finals; but don‘t worry, we won‘t win today‘s game so you won‘t have to be all alone without me ‗cause I won‘t be going to Washington, D.C.‖ But with one minute left in the game and the score being tied at 3 to 3, Pedro forgot about his earlier prediction. He pushed a clump of wet hair away from his eyes. He had played mid-field so strenuously, that he felt his body had been sweating out every drop of water he had ever drunk in his life. ―This isn‘t the time to think of sad things, ―he thought when he re-

THE STORY SO FAR… Seven years after Pedro began playing soccer and five years after he entered foster care…….

CHAPTER ONE

―Kick the ball over the goalie‘s head!‖ shouted Coach Adderman. Behind her husband, Doris Ad-derman, a local librarian and foster mother, cupped her trembling hands around her bright red puck-ered lips and bellowed, ―You can do it! Kick the winning goal!‖ But she couldn‘t hear her own voice and neither could anyone else, in-cluding thirteen-year-old Pedro on whom the game‘s final outcome depended upon. Doris didn‘t realize that she had gone hoarse after cheering non-stop for the past 59 minutes and 30 seconds, even though her throat felt like she was sucking on hot chili-peppers. ―One more goal and you‘re the Nevada State Champions! You can do it! I believe in you! Go, Pedro!‖ ―Focus! Focus! Focus!‖ yelled Tom Adderman. The 6‘ 2‖ potbel-lied, bald, and hyper-excited Middle School History teacher, who was also a soccer coach and foster fa-ther for the past five years, had never won enough season games for his team to play in the finals of the state championship U-13 Boy‘s playoffs. But within the next thirty seconds, the Cyclones might be eli-gible to compete in Washington, D.C. to represent the state of Ne-vada in the National Boy‘s Soccer Championship Tournament. With his heart pounding faster than normal, Coach Adderman was barely able to watch the exciting scene on the field. ―Over his head, Pedro! Focus and kick the ball over the goalie‘s head and into the net!‖ he shouted, more so to release the

membered that in the morning his foster mother had wanted him to get a hair cut. Pedro had protested. The night before Fluffy was outside in the back yard and had gotten into a fight with an angry raccoon. Pedro hadn‘t slept all night because of sitting in the animal emergency hospital, waiting for the vet to pro-nounce the diagnosis of Fluffy‘s cuts and bruises. When the summer sun rose early, Pedro was too tired to do anything but lie in bed and comfort Fluffy, even though the little dog was sound asleep from exhaustion. ―I need to save my energy,‖ he told his substitute mother. One of the best things about his foster par-ents was that they allowed Pedro the freedom to make choices in many situations. But at the moment in what felt like a life or death situation on the soccer pitch, Pedro was wishing he had listened to his foster mother

Doris. Dripping with sweat, locks of hair kept falling onto his fore-head and over his eyes. Pedro looked at the nervous Coach Adderman who was pac-ing back and forth along the side-

lines. Pedro‘s eyes glanced around at his teammates in their orange and white uniforms. On each face of the teenage boys, anxious excite-ment, dubious doubt, and horrific fear showed. Each wanted to feel the elation of victory and each was hoping to avoid the pain of defeat. And Pedro knew what each friend was thinking. ―The destiny of the Cyclones is in the kick of Pedro‘s left foot.‖ Less than two minutes ago, Pedro had started losing hope for a victory. The Volcanoes had been ahead 3-2 with the game coming to an end.

(Continued on Next Page.)

P A G E 8 F O S T E R I N G “ L I T E R A C Y ”

THE FINAL IS NEVER THE FINAL A Qual ity S er ial s story by joseph a . galata part 1

old could hear his social worker, Mr. Franklin, who was a major soccer fan and came to as many of Pedro‘s games and tourna-

ments as possible, shout ―Go for it, Pedro!‖

But Pedro knew that his most loyal fan was his dog Fluffy, who was also the boy‘s good luck charm. Pedro loved Fluffy more than anybody or

anything in the world, along with soccer and books. Often times, Pedro went to bed worrying what his life would be like without the Addermans, soccer, Fluffy, or books.. As much as he loved Coach and Doris, he knew he could adjust very well if he had to leave them and be placed into a new foster home. But he couldn‘t imagine being happy without his dog, playing soccer, or reading books. Pedro especially enjoyed reading books about sports leg-ends such as the famous soccer player, Pele, from Brazil. Pedro never told Mr. Franklin, but Pedro‘s greatest fear was that if the Addermans changed their mind and told him he had to go live with another foster family, the new substitute parents might not allow him to bring Fluffy, would-n‘t permit him to play soccer, and would not take him to the public library. Pedro wouldn‘t know how to handle the painful grief of los-ing what and who he loved the most in this world.

Watching the referee put the whistle to her lips, the nervous boy looked at Fluffy who was star-ing back at him, his tongue flick-ing in and out of his mouth, and his tail wagging side-to-side.

Pedro had once read a book about how thoughts and emo-tions traveled faster than the speed of light, so he silently sent a heartfelt message to his loyal com-panion. ―Wish me luck, Fluffy. If I score this goal, I‘ll buy you the biggest pork chop bone you‘ve

But then Pedro, the only boy on the team who could play defense, striker, center forward, and center midfielder, with a series of short passes, swift zig zagging across the pitch in all direc-tions, launched a con-trolled attack, resulting in a goal to tie the score.

With only 45 seconds left in the game, a fierce player on the Volcanoes Team had used excessive force pushing Pedro to the ground head first. The Cy-clones were awarded the opportu-nity to score a goal, if Pedro could kick the white and black ball straight into the net.

As much as Doris believed in her foster son‘s talents as a soccer player, she found herself wishing that her husband hadn‘t chosen Pedro to be the catalyst for victory or defeat. ―So much pressure to put on him,‖ she continuously thought, even though she was extremely proud of the boy she had been helping to raise and educate for the past five years.

As a kid in foster care, Pedro was cautious about getting his hopes up high about anything. So many times he had hoped to be finally re-united with his biological parents, but sadly, things hadn‘t worked out. Both Coach and Doris kept tell-ing him not to let go of his hopes and dreams about re-unification. Pedro knew that his biological mom was a good mother in many ways, but because of reasons he didn‘t like to think about, she could-n‘t take care of him. His father was a man Pedro barely knew, though the few times he saw his dad dur-ing the past five years, he knew deep down in his heart they both loved each other. Pedro knew his father had problems which made his life difficult.

Pedro knew the referee was about to blow the whistle. Without turning his head, the thirteen-year-

ever eaten.‖ Pedro saw Fluffy‘s ears pop straight up. ―He heard my thoughts,‖ the nervous boy said to himself. ―I‘m going to score this point now! I just know it!‖

The blonde referee blew her whistle.

Pedro squinted. He stared at the goalie. The tall teenager, with the angry look on his face was moving back and forth, side-to-side as if he had a colony of ants running up and down his red socks.

―Go. Go. Go,‖ Doris muttered.

―Over his head. Kick it over his head,‖ Coach Adderman shouted.

Pedro raised his arm into the air, motioning that he was ready. He looked at the white and black ball two feet in front of him. He looked up at the line of oppo-nents standing in front of him.

He lifted his heels off the ground, standing on the balls of his feet.

One second later he sprinted.

A half second later he lifted his left foot and kicked the ball.

All the spectators mouths opened and eyes widened as they held their breath.

The ball sailed at full force in an arc above all the other 21 players‘ heads.

The goalie in the blue and white jersey stretched out his arms as the ball came screaming down.

Pedro couldn‘t watch. Instead he turned his eyes to Fluffy who was imitating the adults and look-ing at the ball flying downward towards the net.

And then…..

TO BE CONTINUED

WHAT DO YOU THINK

HAPPENED NEXT?

P A G E 9 V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 1

FOSTERING “YOUTH”

Sierra Association of Foster Families

Academic Newsletter

WWW.SAFFNN.ORG

Phone: 775-828-9977

TUTORING

A TUTOR helps students to improve their academic grades!

A TUTOR helps students ―keep up good grades!‖

A TUTOR helps students achieve success in school!

Have your foster parents and/or so-cial worker call SAFF at 775-338-7596 if YOU WANT A TUTOR to help you catch up on your school work, get A‘s and B‘s on your report card, and improve your success in your homework and testing!

SAFF WILL SUPPLY THE BOOKS USED IN TUTORING

THEY ARE GENEROUSLY PROVIDED

BY BORDERS BOOKSTORE.

Special thanks to the Doyle Foundation and the Wells Fargo Otto Huth Scholarship Fund who have made this newsletter possible. A major series of ―thank yous‖ to Borders Bookstore in Reno for asking their customers to buy brand new books for children and teens in foster care. In the past 6 months, Borders customers have bought thousands of books.. thousands of books… and delivered them to SAFF to give to youth in foster care. THANK YOU AGAIN AND AGAIN AND AGAIN for your generous support!!!

NONPROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID RENO NV

PERMIT NO. 410

FOSTERING “HISTORY”

Yours, Mine, and Ours

Looking forward to our next issue...

FEBRUARY, APRIL, AND JUNE ISSUES WILL BE AVAILABLE FOR VIEWING ON OUR WEBSITE AT

WWW.SAFFNN.ORG

3376 Lakeside Court Reno, NV ♦ 89509