My sister, Christina Lee Paquette, came to live with us when she was 9. She had been in the foster care system since she was 3. She was three years younger than I was (or only 2 years and 363 days as she often liked to point out.)

I had always wanted a little sister – another girl in the sea of older brothers, a friend and confidant. And she was everything a little sister can be – a playmate, an annoyance, an ally, an enemy, a responsibility and an advocate.

In the 23 years that we were sisters, we only talked a handful of times about her 6 years in and out of foster care. I know the road was hard for her, and at a time when it was crucial for her to have special care and support, it was sometimes just not available.

That’s why I believe in the kind of work that Youth Homes does. At critical turning points in a child’s life, they can be there providing the support, training, and assistance they need.

Thank you for your support of the 2010 Geek Gala and our beneficiary, Youth Homes. Your financial contributions will ensure that children like my little sister Christina will have the support they need when they need it.

Joey Paquette
Founder/Organizer, The Charlotte Geeks
 

About Youth Homes

Youth Homes, a division of the Children’s Home Society of North Carolina, is a nationally COA-accredited, private nonprofit agency that has been providing supportive human services to children and families in Charlotte and Mecklenburg County since 1975.

As part of its mission of “Building Promising Futures for Children and Their Families,” YH provides foster care, family preservation and strengthening, and delinquency prevention services to children and families in crisis. Last year, YH was a positive turning point in the lives of over 600 children and their families.

For information on Youth Homes, visit www.youthhomesinc.org.