Leader
From Foster Youth to Foster Champion
Gordon Boerner ( right ) with fellow U . S . Bank employee , Robert Vega
Gordon Boerner ’ s foster care journey began long before he took a seat on the Just in Time for Foster Youth ( JIT ) Board of Directors in 2020 . Gordon entered the foster care system as an infant through the Salvation Army ’ s Door of Hope . Unlike most former foster youth that Gordon champions as part of the JIT community , his foster care story has a happy ending – he was placed with one loving family and adopted at 13 months old .
“ In a perfect world , all foster care stories would be like mine ,” Gordon shared with GB Magazine , “ I was fortunate enough to be adopted so early in life that foster care was a bootstrap for me .”
Gordon has spent more than a decade advocating for transition age foster youth . Although his experience was a positive one , most children are not so fortunate . In fact , transition age foster youth across the U . S . experience homelessness , incarceration and under-education at rates far beyond their peers .
As a JIT volunteer , Gordon was impressed to find a community committed to providing not just the resources , but also the caring relationships every young person needs to thrive . This includes both Just in Time staff members and other participants who have lived experience in foster care . “ How much better can it get than to have support teams who can emotionally and psychologically identify with the youths ’ needs from their own lived experience ?” he asks .
24 GBSAN . COM | MARCH 2023