Tafari Gonzalez-Aird
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Tafari Gonzalez-Aird
20 years old, California
2009 Outstanding Young Leader
Tafari entered the foster care system at the age of ten. 3 foster homes and two group homes later, he then lived with a family for five years before aging out of the system. Tafari had an unwavering dedication to school and education despite the challenges he faced. Due to a transfer of schools, he was behind in his credits and had many people telling him to focus on just getting his GED instead of his high school diploma. “In the end, I managed to recover 181 credits within 8 months. I transferred back to my high school, completed my last semester, and graduated onstage beside my best friend. After the ceremony, I knew how it felt to cry because I was happy.”
Tafari has shown this same determination in advocacy and leadership. He is a member of the youth council for the Alliance for Children’s Rights. Through this organization he has been involved with opportunities to educate the general public of the hardships many foster youth face. He also had the opportunity to speak at UCLA to a group of law students about the obstacles foster youth face when dealing with courts.
Besides his role as an advocate, Tafari has many other interests. He loves to play basketball, enjoys fine dining, comedy shows, traveling, writes music and shoots films. “If I had more spare time, and money, I’d love to do something different every day.”
For media inquiries, please contact FosterClub at 503-717-1552
2009 Outstanding Young Leaders Page
Congratulations to Tafari on his graduation from junior college this year (2010)!
Kudos to Tafari for his perseverance despite the odds against him in that system!
I worked at the Kenmore Group Home for girls and it's "miracle" for ANY child to prosper after having been exposed to the horrors of life in a group home facility.
The Kenmore Group Home has been closed and SHOULD be! I left the job after 3 months because I refused to earn my salary at the expense of a child's well being.
The drugging of these children for "behavior modification" is appalling!!!
Not to mention the physical, sexual, emotional and psychological abuse that many of them have to endure.
Foster (s)care is a "multi-billion dollar INDUSTRY" and most people are in it only for the money!
I've attended county board of supervisors meetings, senate meetings and meetings for foster parents and it's just "business" for these folks...
Former Georgia senator Nancy Schaefer was a crusader who exposed the corruption within Child "Protective" Services and she and her husband were MURDERED this year for doing so.
The foster care system should be abolished!
I was a staff of this young man's at Mckinley Childrens Center...[edited by FosterClub]. Im happy to see how he has turned out. Congrats Tafari!!
I agree. Best wishes Tafari!
I had the privilege of attending high school with this young man and let me tell you, he is by far the hardest working person I have ever met. His hardships in life never brought him down and if anything pushed him to work even harder to attain what he has accomplished thus far in life. I am really proud of you Tafari! You are truly an inspiration and a source of positive energy to everyone around you. Keep up the good work because it's getting you very far.
Awesome and inspiring young man with a great future ahead of him!
Tafari,I congradulate you a a job well done.I want to encourage you that NOTHING is impossible.If you wanted to do more than one thing YOU CAN.It does take good planning and the canceling out of some other things but if it's what you want then the end will prove to be worth it! I am doing this and that's how I know. Well,stay encouraged and believe!! :)
Continue Following Your Dreams No Matter What The Forecast Is Or What The Weather Looks Like![God-Inspired]
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