By Cindy Adams
"I didn't get birthday cakes."
That's Regina Alston's childhood memory. It's not a resentful statement whatsoever. It's just a matter-of-fact reality. She grew up in Youngstown, Ohio, going from foster home to foster home without as much as a suitcase. That's just the way it was.
"Everyone wasn't understanding and kind when I grew up in foster care," she explained.
But, as an adult, she certainly is.
Regina's deepest desire is to bring care and compassion to the children currently in foster care and to those who are aging out of the system, because she knows that journey well. That desire is what brought her to enCircle where she partners with the Treatment Foster Care staff to reach kids in the program.
Her mission started with books she wrote for children in foster care. They are about the shared similarities and the undeniable differences in children. She reads them to students at local elementary schools.
Over time, Regina's book project grew into a small nonprofit, Lena's Adventures, and later Lena's Trunks, care packages for young adults aging out of the system.
"I am always looking for ways to get into the community and be a blessing," she said.
Recently, Regina chose to bless enCircle's children in foster care with books and pajamas. The children will also be recipients of an upcoming book bag drive.
Regina recalls the difficulties of being in foster care and also the challenges of aging out of the system.
"Some young people don't even have a pot and pan," she said. "They really need someone to walk alongside them, help them develop a plan, until they become functional adults."
She says her real goal is to make them feel supported, feel special and feel loved.
The need for foster parent support does not go unnoticed by her either. She wants to help them, too.
"Parents need to be prepared to deal with foster kids who may have really difficult behaviors," she said. "They will likely have some tough conversations. They need all the support they can get."
She is an enthusiastic proponent for community involvement in foster care and says there are so many ways to support both children and parents, even if you're not able to take a child into your home. There's a role for everyone.
"God opens doors," she said. "When it's the right thing, you know it."
Regina has found her right thing. She's still learning how best to serve foster parents, children and the community. But one thing is for sure. Seeing a foster child blowing out birthday candles on a cake brings her a special thrill. She might as well have blown them out herself. It's personal.
HOW YOU CAN HELP:
Regina's generosity is one piece of a much larger need. EnCircle is currently looking for families willing to open their hearts and their homes. If you've ever considered fostering, please ask us how. And if fostering isn't the right fit for your family right now, a gift toward a birthday cake for a child or a trunk full of essentials for a young adult goes just as far. Every donation helps.
