Everyone has a story, and Lisa Aguirre of Haymarket, Virginia, is ensuring the stories of children in foster care are told.
Aguirre volunteers with the DC Family & Youth Initiative as a mentor to older children in foster care. Most children are between the ages of 16-21 and difficult to place into adoptive families.
Up until a couple of years ago, Aguirre knew very little about foster care and the kids that were aging out of the system. That’s what inspired her to start a project: Beautiful Kids of Care, a book sharing the stories and photos of older children in foster care.
“I wanted to do something for these kids — something to raise awareness of how wonderful and real they are, along with their struggles,” she said.
Aguirre is in the early stages of putting together her book which will consist of interviews with older and former foster kids and their photographs.
“The concept I had in mind was similar to the Humans of New York books and posts,” said Aguirre. “My hope is to put out a book that will be of interest to anyone who loves to read, especially those like me who enjoy coffee table books – the kind of books you can pick up for a few hours at a time here and there and learn something you may not otherwise know much about.”
Aguirre is still collecting interviews for her book but said she’s fascinated by the people she has already met.
To learn more about Aguirre’s project, click here.
