The In My Shoes Family Joins the AzCA Family of Agencies

The newest member of the AzCA family of agencies is "In My Shoes," a Tucson–based, not-for-profit organization whose mission is to ensure that young people experiencing out-of-home care will be supported through their transitional years to develop the competencies to realize their potential as adults.  The merger of In My Shoes and Arizona's Children Association will be final on July 1, 2010.

In My Shoes was created by foster care alumni and representatives from the Young Adult Program, Casey Family Programs and the Tucson Foster Care Alumni and the Tucson Helping Our People Excel (H.O.P.E.) Council. 

Christa Drake, executive director of In My Shoes, was its first employee in 2003.  The agency was incorporated in 2004.  Christa and program coordinator, Eshawn Peterson, were once raised in the foster care system, as are all of the mentors and club facilitators for the agency.  "The In My Shoes community began with a small group of alumni whose shared experiences of foster care allowed them to be a family," said Christa.  "Although the In My Shoes family is not traditional, it is a family who understands each other's struggles and supports one another's goals and dreams. It is a place where our brothers and sisters can come to a place where they can feel ‘normal’ and accepted.  Kids in foster care dream of having a bigger family, and this merger with Arizona's Children Association will help us grow our family of brothers and sisters in foster care across the state."

For AzCA CEO Fred Chaffee, the fit for AzCA and In My Shoes is a natural.  "AzCA was founded on the belief that every child has a right to a family in which they feel safe and secure in the knowledge that that family is forever," said Fred.  "Sometimes this does not happen and youth in foster care find themselves on their own in their transitional years. The voice of youth in foster care needs to be heard by all of us and now it will.  In My Shoes brings powerful voices and programs to support youth in reaching their potential."

In My Shoes offers one on one mentoring, group mentoring, signature events including a sibling picnic, a Christmas party on Christmas Day, which Christa reminds us is the "loneliest day of the year for a child in foster care," and training and events that create awareness about the issues that face youth in foster care.

For more information about "In My Shoes," visit www.inmyshoesinc.org.