Lisa was 15 when she was linked to a foster family by Wesley Mission. “I was an emergency case,” Lisa remembers.
“I went to live with my dad when I was five and my mum died of cancer, but he had a brain injury. He tried his best but he wasn’t able to properly care for my big sister and I.”
But the transition from the home Lisa knew was still very difficult. As she drove with her case worker to meet her new foster mother, Pamela, her heart raced with fear at the thought she was going to live with a total stranger.
“And I had anger management issues as anyone with trauma does, so it was rocky at first,” she says. But gradually, Lisa began seeing the positives and requested to be placed with her foster mum permanently.
“I was actually getting fed properly,” says Lisa. “I realised it was actually a stable environment.”
With the care of her foster mum and extra help with her education, Lisa improved her marks and successfully completed Year 12. She was able to get into a Bachelor of Arts degree at the University of Canberra. A scholarship from Wesley Mission helped Lisa support herself in a different city while she studied. This April, her graduation from university was an incredibly proud day for Lisa and Pamela, who Lisa now considers family.
Now, Lisa is living in Wesley Mission community accommodation for foster children while she finds her feet. She also volunteers with our fundraising team and gains valuable work experience from it. Lisa hopes to get her foot in the door of a public service career and be financially independent.
“I thought I might be dead by the time I was 20, and I can’t believe where I am now,” she says. “The help I’ve had from Wesley Mission means a lot.”
Wesley Foster Care provides secure, safe and loving environments for vulnerable children to help them reach their full potential. If you’d like information about fostering a child, call us on 1300 DALMAR (1300 325 627) or email us on dalmar@wesleymission.org.au