Imagine That! Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America
In response to those people around the country who have been inspired by the work of the Treehouse Foundation, founder Judy Cockerton has created a consulting company called Imagine That! Re-Envisioning Foster Care in America.
“ Certain things are too important to waste. A child’s life is one of them.
Let us have the courage to face the everyday realities of the foster care experience for children in this country and come together to craft vibrant new programs, opportunities to create enduring relationships, and life outcomes. Let us send our most vulnerable children the message that they are visible, valuable, and worthy of our investment in their lives.”
Judy Cockerton
Founder
Imagine That! Re-Envisioning
Foster Care in America
Today in America there are 800,000 children experiencing foster care. One third of those children will never return home and never be adopted. They will spend their childhoods bouncing through the foster care system and at the age of 18 launch out into the world alone. We know what happens next.
Why is America stuck here? Because almost everybody is looking around and responding to what they see. They are focused on today’s reality. What is the solution?
Look around less!
Imagine more!
Imagine until your imagery becomes the new reality.
When we, as a nation, make a conscious decision to honor the potential in each child’s life and find all children in our neighborhoods and communities worthy of our investment, we will begin thinking outside of the foster care box. We will be inspired by each other’s creativity and child-centered solutions. We will see how easy it is to create a new paradigm. Then the country will be engaged in the Imagine That! process.
Imagine That! Consulting offers the kind of inspiration, guidance, and expertise that inspires communities all across America to:
· Re-think foster care
· Envision new opportunities
· Design replicable, community-based solutions
· Create innovative initiatives in your region that are dedicated to improving outcomes for
children who experience foster care in America.
Imagine That! helps develop and implement innovative programs and practices that will fundamentally change the way we think about and care for the 800,000 children who experience foster care in America. The children who today are invisible, stigmatized, and considered unworthy of our time and investment. We can change that reality and create one where the lives of 800,000 American children are placed on a new trajectory – one that is fueled with hope, connection and belonging.
Imagine That! helps individuals, organizations, and communities design unique, compelling strategies for community engagement. It encourages people to become engaged in the lives of children in new and exciting ways and to be part of the solution.
Most Americans believe that there are only two ways they can support a child in foster care:
1. Become a foster parent
2. Adopt a child from the foster care system.
Imagine That! will lead America in a new direction – one that offers people an array of opportunities to choose, ranging from: writing a check to support dynamic programs to volunteering in an animal therapy program, from enrolling in a degree program that supports this new vision to being a mentor, from planting seeds in a community garden to becoming a counselor in a week long summer camp. The Imagine That! process entails brainstorming, designing compelling options, and creating new ways to connect kids in our communities with everyday heroes!
IMAGINE THAT! OFFERINGS
A variety of consulting options are available for clients based on their community’s needs and visions.
Imagine That! jump starts the community education and learning process by getting people to think out-of-the foster care box and create new realities for children and youth in their neighborhoods and communities. Envisioning new ways of caring for and about children in foster care will insure broader life options and future possibilities. By focusing on the potential of children and raising the bar on desired outcomes, a shift begins to occur that makes room for new ideas and possibilities. Imagine That! is a stepping stone to a better future. We work with you to inspire people all across America to think differently and generate change while experiencing the value of investing in the lives of our most vulnerable children.
Who are Imagine That! clients? Individuals who want to create customized programs in their neighborhoods, organizations that want to replicate programs that Imagine That! has already launched or piloted through the Treehouse Foundation, social entrepreneurs and community members who want to create a unique Menu of Options for their region, and the thousands of citizens who have been waiting for an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children in their own backyards!
A variety of Imagine That! consulting options are available. Examples are:
· Thinking Out of the Foster Care Box
· Re-Envisioning Foster Care
· We See Potential!
· Creating an Intergenerational Community
· The Gift of Legacy
· Workshops
· Creating a Menu of Engagement Options for Your Neighborhood
· Consulting by the Hour
· Customized Consulting to Support Your Vision
· Trainings
We invite you to contact us for our fee structure and to discuss our services in greater detail.
CONTACT US
Judy Cockerton
jcockerton@imaginethatkids.org
617.852.0735
LINKS
Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute
To contact the Treehouse Foundation by mail:
Treehouse Foundation
One Treehouse Circle
Easthampton MA, 01027