Mentors needed for new RPC partner Thru Project.

The first time Robyn Parker ran the dishwasher in her very first apartment after leaving the foster care system at the age of 19, bubbles began to overflow out of the machine and onto the floor. She called the only adult whose phone number she knew — her former case worker, Chris Lopez, who explained to her the difference between dish soap and dishwashing detergent. It wasn’t the last time she would need to call on Chris in a stressful moment.

“I didn’t know you were supposed to separate laundry, and I had just bought new jeans, so everything was blue. It’s those simple things that if you grew up in a family, you learn, but you need someone to teach you. Being on my own was stressful because I didn’t know what to do about simple, small stuff.”

Robyn is now the program outreach coordinator for The Thru Project, a new ministry partner of Redeemer. The Thru Project works to help bridge the gap between foster care and adulthood by providing youth with mentors, services and support as they age out of the foster system. Chris Lopez, Robyn’s former case worker, is now the program manager for The Thru Project. 

At the age of 18, foster youth who have not been adopted into a permanent family are faced with a choice — they may legally terminate the state’s guardianship of them, a process known as emanciptation, or they can choose to remain in the system up to the age of 21. Many are tired of the heavy supervision of foster care and are eager to be independent, but they are often unprepared for the challenges of full-fledged adulthood, Chris says. Having an adult mentor who is committed to meeting with them, providing advice, and imparting basic life knowledge can make an enormous difference.

“Nine out of ten of them say ‘Sign me up. You mean someone who is not being paid by the state is going to come see me and talk to me? That’s great,’” Chris says.

The Thru Project emphasizes that mentors don’t have to know all the answers to life’s questions. They simply commit to spending time with a young person who is learning the ropes of adulthood without the benefit of a stable family structure, something many people take for granted. Mentors and mentees can decide how to spend time together — some meet for coffee or go on an outing together; some mentees are comfortable attending church with their mentors and go to lunch afterward. Mentors over the age of 21 are needed for males and females, and the experienced Thru Project staff is available to mentors who run into questions about how best to support their mentee.

In Region 8 of the Texas foster care system, which encompasses the San Antonio metro area, 220 youth were emancipated from the system in 2018. Without good support systems, teens aging out of the foster system face high odds of incarceration, teen pregnancy or being the victim of a crime, and very few pursue a college education. Of 555 youth served through the Thru Project since 2011, 95 percent are either currently enrolled in school, graduated or received their GED; 68 percent are employed.

Those striking differences in outcomes, Chris says, illustrate the impact of a basic support system and make it clear that foster youth can thrive with a little help.

“I think a lot of people are tempted to turn a blind eye to the foster system,” he says. “It’s too sad and we don’t want to hear about that. But we don’t want these young adults to be a product of the system, just cycled in and out. We want to end that cycle and have them start their lives.”

Ready to learn more? The Thru Project will hold a mentor training and informational session at Redeemer on Thursday, March 5th at 7 p.m. You can come to this session whether you are ready to mentor or just want to ask questions. Contact Amy Arguello to RSVP.