[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 158 (2012), Part 5]
[House]
[Pages 6893-6894]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                           FOSTER CARE MONTH

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentlewoman from 
California (Ms. Bass) for 5 minutes.
  Ms. BASS of California. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize May as 
National Foster Care Month. The goal of this month is to raise 
awareness about the experiences and needs of more than 400,000 youth in 
the foster care system.
  Throughout the month, members of the Congressional Caucus on Foster 
Youth will share stories of foster youth in their districts. Today I 
would like to share a story from my constituent

[[Page 6894]]

Kevin, a young man from Hollywood, California.

                              {time}  1010

  His story is unique, yet his resiliency is characteristic of hundreds 
of thousands of foster youth across our Nation.
  Kevin was born into a family addicted to crack cocaine. He was 
removed from his parents at the age of 2, after a near-death drowning 
experience. After years in a group home, he was placed with a legal 
guardian. But this placement was difficult. Kevin was placed back with 
his biological mother, until she was incarcerated for the third time, 
leaving Kevin with no place to go.
  In the face of all these challenges, Kevin has persevered. He 
recently transferred from community college with a full-ride 
scholarship and a 3.8 GPA. He plans to become a professor in the social 
sciences.
  About his time in and out of foster care, Kevin says:

       I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have had 
     because they allow me to identify and connect with a broad 
     range of people.

  Today, in honor of Kevin's courage and tenacity, I join my fellow 
cochairs of the Congressional Caucus on Foster Youth and with 
Representative Tom Marino, as well as over 90 of our colleagues in the 
House and the Senate, in introducing a bipartisan, bicameral resolution 
in recognition of National Foster Care Month. I invite my colleagues to 
cosponsor the bipartisan resolution as well as join the Congressional 
Caucus on Foster Youth.

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