Page 4 - 2017 Annual Report Final

KATIE’S STORY WoRcesteR, nY

(In her own words)

My name is Katie. I am 17 years old and have been living in one of Berkshire’s foster homes since I was 15.
I want to personally thank you for your support and donations to Berkshire. Because of your support, I
live in a safe and loving home. I’m graduating high school next June and I now have goals and a plan for my
future.

By the age of 14, I was already using drugs and alcohol on a regular basis. I was hanging with a bad crowd
and making poor choices. I didn’t care about graduating high school, I didn’t care what other people thought
of me and I didn’t see my life getting any better.
I was 15 years old when I came to Berkshire and started living with a foster family. Ms. Joan, my foster mom,
had two rules: no lying and no stealing. Actually, now that I think about it, she had many rules. She gave me
something I didn’t have before: structure. Over time, I realized that being away from the people I thought
were my friends back home, was a good thing. I got away from the drugs and alcohol, I started making new
friends, my grades improved and I was in a home where I felt safe and loved. Ms. Joan loved me, took care of
me, and became my advocate. She always has my back and today I am proud to call her MY MOM.

Thanks to Berkshire and Ms. Joan, I’m now on a different path.

In January of 2017, I started a program called Safe Transitions. When I entered foster care I was lucky that
I was able to bring some clothing and other belongings. Most kids coming into foster care are not so lucky
and many come into care with nothing but the clothes on their back. Through the Safe Transitions Program,
we fill donated synch bags with hygiene products, journals, stuffed animals, and snacks for girls and boys of
all ages when they come into foster care. As of today, we have been able to donate twenty-two synch bags to
kids entering Berkshire’s foster care program.

When I graduate high school next June, my goal is to attend SUNY Cobleskill to study Early Childhood
Development. Thanks to donors and supporters like you, I will be applying for a college scholarship through
Berkshire.

If I never came to Berkshire and met Ms. Joan, I wouldn’t be who I am today.

Today I am a leader, a role model, a person with goals. Berkshire and Ms. Joan have changed my life for the
better.