Could one caring relationship be the key to helping kids in foster care live the life they want for themselves?
For Simone Biles, that question is personal. After growing up in foster care herself, the world’s most decorated gymnast is now helping other kids in her former shoes pursue their dreams.
“I know exactly what these kids go through and what they need to be successful when they’re older: having one constant person in their life from when they’re young, all the way through high school graduation,” says Biles.
She’s now helping Friends of the Children expand to her hometown of Houston. Founded in Portland, Oregon, in 1993, Friends of the Children nurtures long-term relationships with foster youth to help them discover their life’s purpose and realize their potential. Each foster youth is matched with one mentor, or Friend, for at least 12 years.
Having support helped Biles overcome her own challenges and become an elite athlete. Now, she’s helping connect other foster youth to mentors so they can thrive as well.
Simone Biles
Simone Biles went from foster child to Olympic fame. Now, she’s helping the next generation achieve their dreams.
Eleven million children live below the poverty line in the U.S. Of these children, 400,000 are in foster care.
The average child stays in the foster care system for over a year and moves homes multiple times. Stability and guidance during their formative years are often missing.
This lack of meaningful connection has real-world consequences. Up to 80 percent of foster youth experience significant mental health challenges, while one-quarter will enter the criminal justice system within two years of leaving the system. Kids in foster care are also five times more likely to experience PTSD in adulthood than the general population.
Friends of the Children recognizes that lack of stability plays a significant role in their development. The nonprofit pairs each foster youth with one mentor who commits to sustaining and nurturing a relationship with them.
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“I was doing a soul search trying to figure out exactly what I wanted to do,” Young says. “My mom was a foster parent. And I wanted to help people.”
Like Biles, Smith was in foster care before being adopted by a grandparent. Comparisons don’t stop there: Smith’s North Star is becoming a pediatrician so she can help young children. Biles had the same dream before dedicating her life to gymnastics.
Thanks to Friends of the Children, Smith met her gymnast hero in Houston. Biles hopes the type of relationship that Young and Smith have developed will now spread in Houston as well.
“I hope these kids dream big and dream bigger after that and never give up,” says Biles. “And they know that these mentors and their friends are rooting for them — for success, for happiness, through anything that they’re going through.”
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