Heather Wilder chooses to consider being a motivational speaker, a talent agent, and/or work with disadvataged youth and disabled children. Now a junior in high school, she to some degree has already moved into the motivational arena. She says, “Kids get all dressed up and are just waiting for their hope to arrive on adoption days. Be the hope in someone’s life.” Heather writes about issues of foster children, about moving from home to home, about living with abusive parents, and about preparing for adoption days.
As an advocate herself for foster children, she has already received recognition and awards such as a National Caring Award, a Congressional Gold Medal for Youth (by Congress for community service), by People magazine in 2007, by a Nestle’s Very Best in Youth Award also in 2007, by Youth Social Intrepreneurs in 2010 along with speaking on Fox news relative to foster youth in 2010.
She has chosen to facilitate scrapbook workshops where foster children work to create new memories since they often enter foster care without traditional pictures and memories preserved. A favorite family tradition is playing Santa to foster children in Las Vegas since foster children can be sometimes forgotten during holidays.
Her own experience enables her to predict situations common to foster youth. Her advocacy promotes credibility in what she says and what she writes. In foster care for five years, Heather was seven when she first entered foster care. Reunited with her biological father for a time, she re-entered foster care in the same home and was later adopted at age 12.
She to some extent has already proven her leadship skills in standing up for foster youth and adoptive children.
