Former foster care youth now finds families for children currently in the system

Raise the Future has been working with youth in foster care since 1983. Over the years, the organization has grown to serve not only Colorado but also Nevada and Utah. Aria Williams works as a Youth Connections Advocate for Raise the Future in Utah. 

"I really enjoy my job because there are some aspects of it that you can really do some digging," she said. 

Like a detective, she digs into a child's history to find just one caring adult who will love that child. 

" A large part of my job is getting to know them so understanding their strengths and their needs but then also trying to find families," she explained. 

As a Youth Connections Advocate, Williams is looking for a safe, stable family connection for the kids who've lived in foster care the longest; teens, sibling groups, and children with disabilities. 

"This work is very personal to me. I grew up in foster care. I spent 8 years in foster care, and I actually had three siblings who were in care with me, and we all had different outcomes," Williams said. 

Her older sister aged out of the system and her two brothers were adopted separetely from her. She has a personal understanding of all the outcomes that foster kids face. 

"I was 16 when I was adopted out of foster care," she explained. "Once I was adopted, I really felt I could go and be myself and try new things, and I had somewhere to call home and people who loved me unconditionally," she recalled. 

Williams' lived experience makes her a proud advocate for children living in foster care. She was recently in Denver for a national Think Tank on adoption out of foster care. 

"I'm always hoping with conferences like this and bigger conversations that adoption from foster care is going to get better. We're going to have more people willing to adopt from foster care and realistic outcomes about what that looks like," she said. 

Williams is a champion of giving youth in foster care a voice in their future and finding the connection that is going to make them thrive. 

LINK: Wednesday's Child on CBS

For more information about adoption from foster care by calling Raise the Future at (303) 755-4756 or 1(800) 451-5246 or go to the Raise the Future website.