Henrietta Jones made an important life decision after taking a friend to visit his son, who was incarcerated. She saw how full the prisons were with young black men and she realized that she had to do something to make a difference. She decided to become a foster parent in the hopes of trying to save other young children from getting into trouble and being put away. Henrietta says:
"As the African proverb says, 'it takes a whole village to raise a child'. I decided to become an active part of the village and devote my efforts to this childrearing process."
After completing the classes to become a foster parent, Henrietta requested children from ages five to eleven, but the first call she received was to take a teenager.
"I was a little skeptical about taking an older child, but the agency said this teen's mother recently died of cancer, and because I had lost my own mother to this disease, I was moved to take the girl into my care. From that point on, I only wanted girls in this age range so that they could be companions for each other."
Henrietta fondly remembers an experience involving one of her foster daughters, Maria, who was 15-years-old when she came to live with her. Maria, who is of Indian descent, expressed some concerns to her new foster mother.
"Her exact words were: 'I'm afraid of people of color and I am afraid to eat your food'. Fortunately, it didn't take too long to change her mind."
After feeling all the warmth and love that flowed freely in Henrietta's home, Maria quickly became very comfortable with the family. Soon after, the young girl was beating them all to the dinner table and went from weighing 95 pounds to a healthier 115 pounds. Maria is now 20-years-old, has graduated college, and is once again living with Henrietta.
Henrietta understands that parenting sometimes presents challenges and concerns that people are not always prepared to deal with alone. This devoted foster parent also serves as the Bronx and Manhattan Borough Coordinator for Circle of Support, a NYC-based network of foster and adoptive parents, administrators and others who meet monthly in their neighborhoods to share stories, advice and to help each other whenever the need arises.