Fostering Hope Louisiana

Fostering Hope Louisiana exists to address the oral and mental health needs of youth in foster care thereby cultivating their potential and equipping them to successfully embrace their future. Education is the means by which these goals will be accomplished. Fostering Hope Louisiana seeks to ensure that foster youth have access to quality care that will enable them to overcome the affects of their trauma to become healthy, productive citizens.

To promote resiliency among foster youth with the support of orthodontists, trauma-informed mental health professionals and the community. Fostering Hope Louisiana is focused on improving the physical appearance of each child with braces for their own self esteem but recognizes that healing unseen scars is often times much more difficult but equally as important for their health.

Testimonials

My name is Natalie. I'm a 19 year old senior in high school. My experience in foster care has been good because I got to go shopping for clothes. Until then I had never been shopping for clothes. Now I'm in extended foster care living with my foster parent who is someone I can rely on for help. I need braces because of my gap. Braces are going to make me feel better about myself.

My name is Derrick and I came into foster care because my parent had a drug problem. My aunt is a supportive person who I could call on to help me. Foster care is a lot to deal with but the foster people are helping me to get into a better life. My life is better for having been in foster care because it's helping me find where I want to live and keeping me out of trouble. I'm 13 years old in the 6th grade. Braces will fix my overbite. I also want treatment because it will make me feel better about myself; my teeth won't be jacked up anymore.

I'm Brian. I'm 13 years old and in the 6th grade. I don't know why I came into foster care, whether it was because of abuse or neglect, but if I had to describe it, I would say it's been a good experience. What has made foster care a good experience is the family I live with now. I've been in 4 foster homes total. But if I needed help, I could go to my Mom and Dad [foster parents]. My life is better because of the people I'm with and going to church. My life just feels better. I need braces to fix my teeth, to straighten them out. It's important to get them fixed so my teeth will be healthy.