Most children in foster care experience too many moves in their young lives. When first taken into custody at the beginning of a CPS investigation, they may move from one foster home to another until the case is decided and a more permanent placement is found. As they grow older and their needs change they may move a couple of more times. Sometimes the move comes because a foster parent relinquishes her foster home or the child ages out of one type of residential facility. Changes in a child’s emotional and behavioral needs may result in a new placement. If things do not work out at that placement, another move may happen.

After so many moves it is difficult to hang on to pictures of family and friends, to remember important family traditions or dates that are noteworthy or to piece together a portrait that says. “This is where I’ve been. This is who I am. This is where I’m going.” The Lifebooks Project aims to create a scrapbook for as many children in foster care as possible. The Lifebook is a place where children can safely store and display pictures of themselves when they were younger or photos of Mom, Dad and brothers and sisters, and store memories of family times.

Children in foster care so often lose touch with friends are they move from one placement to another. Friends old and new can be featured in their Lifebook. Many times there are unpleasant memories that make up who a child is and what his or her life experience has been. A Lifebook is meant to record these events, too. A child can look back on those sad times and then page forward to see how far they have come and how much they have grown. Important events can be memorialized here: Student of the Month, Honor Role, a school field trip, first time on a surf board---the list goes on and on. Plans for the future should be part of the book as well.

To start the project we need scrapbooks and scrapbook pages. Experienced scrapbookers can design and put together pages where a child can fill in with his or her pictures and/or memories. If you are not a scrapbook enthusiast, you can donate the materials and the child or a child with the help of another volunteer or staff can make the page. Remember the goal is to create a book that the child will cherish as a place for memories, hopes, and dreams.

If you would like to volunteer to become a part of this meaningful project, or help us with supplies and materials, please contact Beverly by phone at 760-433-6361 or via email at beverly@milestonehouse.org.  
                                       
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