Two boys, ages 10 and 12, were struggling. Their mother had an addiction, and abusive people were in their home. To escape, and sometimes to find something to eat, they wandered their Portland, Oregon, neighborhood and found an empty shed to stay the night. It was 1996, and the shed belonged to a young newlywed couple Celeste and Jeff Bodner.
When child protective services removed the boys from their mother, the brothers identified the Bodners as the most reliable adults in their lives. Celeste and Jeff were asked to become foster parents. Celeste immediately found it odd that while the boys received almost no information about foster care, she and Jeff were supported with training, resources, and connected to a network of experienced foster parents.
The boys’ lives were in upheaval. When one of the boys suffered from anger and depression and struggled with traditional therapy, Celeste looked for a peer support network for him. She couldn’t find one. And FosterClub was born.
“Because I spent time in foster care, it has incredibly encouraged me to keep being as passionate as I have been, all these years. Advocacy is in my blood, I still talk about FosterClub nearly every day to people eight years later!”
