About

 Born an entrepreneur, business woman with 32 employees by the time I was 21, making money, pursuing business and the next networking meeting was my life. Until one minute, one phone call, I was catapulted into a world I didn’t even know existed: the world of abused children, foster care systems, and dysfunctional family syndromes. In this world I describe, I found a new mission and purpose for my life.
It all began five years ago, when overnight, I became a relative foster care parent. The mental calculation and decision took all of one minute to say 'yes' when the Department of Child and Human Services approached me to take in a relative's children: two beautiful children, a 1-year-old and a 4-year-old, who needed a permanent home. Long story very short: before I knew it, I had taken an additional four other children who were also products of extremely dysfunctional environments.
With a wonderful daughter of 23 years, right out of college, and already rising-up the ladder of success, plus an awesome 11-year-old adopted son whom I had raised from birth, I had no reason to doubt I could do this. I had just been certified as a Life Coach, Domestic Violence Recovery Coach, and was a Pastor, along with other relevant credentials, this should have been a breeze. But nothing could have prepared me for the chaos and malfunction of which God had dropped me in the midst of.
I had never experienced first-hand traumatized, neglected and abused children who express anger through behaviors like violent outbursts, cursing, and hiding under chairs one minute, and then 10 minutes later, acting "normal" again. My new babies were crying out in horror in the night, and falling out of bed during their nightmares. What a wake-up call from my own somewhat "normal" world perspective.
For the most part, I quickly became an on-the-go mom with the kids' needs being the top priority, even over my businesses and their finances. I quickly found I was no longer running my life; it was now running me. I was responsible for transporting the kids from counselors to therapists to schools, to DHS, to CPS, to Foster Care Services, to the Adoption Agency, and to the courts, all with everyone's required paperwork in hand. I was also pursuing the financial and medical needs of the children, as well being there for them emotionally, and providing their basic, fundamental needs.
The counselors, therapists and medications prescribed for the children were not helping the children or us as a family unit. In searching for support, help aids and services, nothing I found could help with all the diversified issues and challenges we faced. It didn't take long for me to realize how little my own experience and training could do to turn my new family into a functional home, much less needing counseling and meds myself! I also, for the first time in my life, I could truly relate to the challenges other families face in trying to stop a roller-coaster of family dysfunctions once they are on a roll. Honestly, I was ready to throw my hands up in surrender!
But, it was knowing how much these children needed me to succeed that made my determination even stronger. It seemed all the older kids wanted to do was escape from life to hide in their IT game worlds and devices. I watched them disconnect from the reality when their virtual worlds made it so easy to block everything out. They buried their emotions and social skills in computers, games and phones. I saw the defiance when I limited their technology time or took their games away. I heard the arguments, saw the impatience, and even the rise in anxiety as they waited for their turn at the controls. They had terrible manners, postures and attitudes. The younger kids were growing in excitement as they watched the older kids play the flashy, moving games and they were wanting them too! I battled with the thought of not giving the IT devices because of the drawbacks like disinterest is other toys like racing cars and blocks, but how do you deny one child and not the other?
Everywhere we look and go, people are on their electronic devices. I asked myself," Do I continue allowing IT or do I take it away?" I could see first-hand the power and effect technology had over the children. I felt they were playing in a world I wouldn't want them to live in!
The world is all about technology. "If we can't beat them, let's join them right where they are," I thought.  I began to search out apps or games that the kids and I could play together that would help us bond while learning with positive practice of simple life skills. I found nothing! I was also unable to find one device or app that provides easy interaction for the age variances so frequently found in today's families. I searched out counselors and life-coaching, hands-on tools, only finding another certified person for us to talk to at another appointment and we were already suffering from a lack of quality family time. To me, it was just one more appointment to run to. I found myself praying more and more for God to help me help these children asking, "How do I get our life back in my control?" The kids of today’s world don't even know how to eat at a kitchen table, much less learn life skills from one.
As a flash of defeat tried to creep in, the entrepreneurial spirit in me jumped for joy seeing such a huge need in technology.  What an open-door opportunity! I realized this was my new purpose and mission in life. The world desperately needs a "Virtual World Table."  and a drop down menu  to true targeted family support and solutions.