By
C.J. Hirschfield
Five
years ago, I wrote a column about an
extraordinary young woman, Reuel Mack, who’d been referred to Fairyland from an organization called Beyond Emancipation, which is Alameda County’s primary provider of services for former
foster youth. Reuel had been in the foster system, in many different
homes, for most of her life. As a child, she never knew her biological mother.
Her father was in jail. She eventually learned she has 11 siblings.
Today
I’m proud to share with you a very happy update to Reuel’s story – a story that
Reuel herself will tell the guests at our 23rd annual gala fundraiser on Wednesday, May 30.
Reuel
came to Fairyland when she was 20 and newly emancipated. She was starting to
take classes at Laney College when she happened across a booth on campus that
was staffed by Extended Opportunity Program and Services (EOPS). Established in
1969, EOPS supports students with language, social and economic disadvantages.
It collaborates with Beyond Emancipation to help former foster youth succeed at
Laney and beyond.
Reuel
says EOPS changed her life. The program helped her move in with her cousin,
and then worked with her to plan a year of classes, offer tutoring, and even
provide food and other services when she needed them. EOPS staffers also took
Reuel on tours of four-year universities like UC Davis.
While
taking classes at Laney, Reuel began working as a paid intern in our animal
department, eventually earning a promotion to paid ride operator. Over the
years she also worked in our café and box office and in our summer camp
program. She’s now a ride supervisor.
Reuel with a young friend and one of our gentle donkeys, 2013 |
But
it was in the animal department the Reuel found herself. She overcame her
initial fear of animals and learned how to make animals feel safe. “But most
important,” she says now, “working in the animal department gave me a sense of
purpose.”
One
of Reuel’s jobs involved working with our Junior Animal Caretaker program, an
outreach program for children who have experienced trauma or who have social
and emotional issues. One of the kids in the program, River, “was like a little
sister to me,” Reuel recalls. “When she first came, she was shy and nervous. I
told her I’d grown up in foster care myself, and there is a better life ahead!”
Fairyland
changed Reuel, and Reuel changed Fairyland. Because of our positive experience
with her, we brought on four additional paid interns from Beyond Emancipation
to work in our horticulture, animal and theater departments.
Reuel
is now 25 – she turns 26 in June – and in the years since she came to Fairyland
she has earned two degrees from Laney College, an AA and an AS. This month she
received to medical certificates from Merritt College, in clinical and
administrative work. In the fall she will attend West Coast University to
complete a nursing degree.
Reuel at her Laney College graduation |
And
after that? “A master’s degree, I hope!” she says.
When
I first met Reuel, nearly seven years ago, I noticed a tattoo on her forearm
that said “Unique.” It’s the nickname her cousin had given her, because
“everything I do is unique. I like to stand out, to be a leader.”
True
to that nickname, Reuel has proved her leadership ability over and over. We’re
tremendously happy to have played a role in her success, and we know she’ll
continue to make us proud in the coming years.
Reuel Mack |
If
you’d like to learn more about Beyond Emancipation, go to their website. And if you’d like to help Fairyland give other former
foster youth opportunities similar to Reuel’s, you may make a donation on our website.
__
C.J. Hirschfield has served for 15 years as executive director of Children's Fairyland, where she is charged with the overall operation of the nation's oldest storybook theme park.
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