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Bridget's Story

A Passion for Foster Care

Bridget Foster is a natural foster parent, beyond just the name coincidence. In her own words, “it’s in her blood.”

Bridget’s mother passed when she was 12 years old, leaving her father to take care of her and her younger siblings. By the time she turned 17, her father was diagnosed with cancer and was no longer able to take care of them. They ended up in foster care. Though their foster mother tried her best, Bridget was unable to connect with her. It was then that Bridget decided she wanted to become a foster parent as well, to make sure that the youth in her care never felt that way.

She took her first foster care placement 22 years ago — a girl named Allana. Through a set of difficult circumstances, Allana was unable to reunite with her birth family, and Bridget legally adopted her. Over the years Bridget has opened her home to many youth through foster care and adopted two other daughters — Keondra and Allisa. She said it’s always been difficult work, but that she wouldn’t change any of it.

“When you start to make a difference and start seeing progress, it makes you hungry to see more,” Bridget shares. “Because I had the proper support, it made my home strong.”

In addition to being a stellar foster parent and even helping to teach certification classes to other foster parents, Bridget spent 15 years professionally working with adults with mental health challenges and trauma histories. It was there that she learned how to interact with individuals that had severe behavioral challenges and help them to feel normal, seen and cared for.

Bridget heard about our treatment foster care (TFC) program through a friend and decided that it would be an excellent way for her to bring the professional expertise she amassed over the years into her own home. She now is one of our TFC providers in St. Louis, working with youth who have experienced extreme trauma through Homes that Heal and TAPS.

“I went through the training, and it was all familiar,” she remembers. “I was able to put trauma-informed language to everything I had already experienced.”

Bridget says her favorite thing about the program is the way she feels that she is part of a team rather than being all on her own. “The resources available were what drew me,” she explains. “I can do this because they are there to support me. I love that they come into the home and want to help. They have energy and they always make themselves available.” 

If you are interested in learning more about our treatment foster care program in St. Louis, contact Dr. Lanette Madison at (314) 881-0350 or lanette.madison@cornerstonesofcare.org

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