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Alexandra Altman, the eldest of Dr. Joseph and Alexandra Kazickas grandchildren, combines lessons passed down by her grandparents with her own life experience and turns it into a career as a social worker and her philanthropy choice as well. Alexandra's choice - "Together We Rise" is a non-profit organization dedicated to transforming the way youth navigate through the foster care system in America.
"My brother and sister and I were all adopted at very young ages, and I know we all feel very lucky that we happened to join such a truly amazing family through adoption," shares Alexandra. "As the eldest of the grandchildren in the Kazickas/Altman family, I also feel lucky that I got to spend so many years around Mamyte and Tevelis, who were truly exceptional people. They taught us the importance of giving thanks for all of your blessings, but also the great importance of giving back to people who are less fortunate-a lesson echoed by my parents and other family members, as well. This is one of the reasons I became a social worker in the field of adoption from foster care, helping to support kids who have experienced grief, loss and trauma and matching them with adoptive families who take care of them and help them heal.
For my KFF charity of choice, I chose the US organization 'Together We Rise', which I feel truly honored to support. All kids in foster care have been subjected to abuse and neglect, and this organization, started by young people, has projects that aim to help foster kids in a few different ways, including helping them obtain college educations. The outcomes for kids coming out of foster care can be bleak, especially if they have not attained permanency with a loving adoptive family - they are more likely to experience homelessness, more likely to be unemployed, far less likely to attend and graduate from college, and more likely to enter the prison system than their peers who were not in foster care. In my opinion, it is vital that we invest in organizations that can help mitigate these risks for kids who have valuable strengths and stories - kids who could make a very positive impact on society if properly supported and connected to resources. 'Together We Rise' also has programs that aim to help provide basic necessities for kids, ensuring that they don't arrive to new foster or adoptive homes with their belongings in trash bags, which is all too common (and obviously, incredibly humiliating and stigmatizing) and projects that aim to supply kids in foster care or aging out of foster care with bikes (as the emancipating ones often don't have money for a car)," concludes Alexandra.
"Together We Rise" story inspired by one boy named Roger in 2008, today changes the way tens of thousands of kids experience foster care in the US.
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Photos: Courtesy of A. Altman