The Best Kind of Investing

from Albany Living Magazine - Spring 2023

growing gains

WWhen you think of the words foster care, what ideas come to mind? Do you think, “No way, I could never do that,” or “Our foster care system is broken; I don’t have time to get involved in the red tape.” How about, “The children will be too damaged or too difficult to care for,” or “People only get into that for the money.”

Many myths surround foster care. No one knows this better than Jay Houston, mother of six and Director of Resource Development and Marketing for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Albany. Jay, 37, is devoted to bringing awareness to what kids in the foster care system are like and how much support is available for those who decide to open their homes to parent a displaced child. “I want to help the community understand that children in Foster Care are just normal, typical kids like the kids you know,” Jay asserts. “They are in these situations by no fault of their own.”

The issue is personal for Jay, who, at a young age, was abandoned by her biological mother, who had struggled with addiction for most of her life. “I believe addiction is a disease and not a choice,” says Jay, when asked about her mother. “Her body craved drugs more than her heart craved motherhood.” Despite the addiction, her mother would have five more children after Jay, none of whom had the opportunity to grow up together in the same home.

At age five, Jay was taken in by her great aunt on her mother’s side, Gwen Baugh, who lived in Jacksonville, Florida, with her husband, Jim, a newly retired veteran who was working as the President of a private Christian school. The Baughs had quite a heart for children in need, having added to their two biological children two adopted children from Thailand and two more from the U.S. foster care system. Jay entered her new family as the youngest of seven. “Foster care and adoption has been my norm my whole life,” says Jay.

When Jay was finishing Kindergarten, Jim Baugh and the family relocated to Luverne, Alabama, where Jim took a job pastoring a church. Tragedy struck just two years later when, at age 50, Jim died of a massive heart attack. One year after his passing, Jay’s adoption was finalized. Gwen, who eventually went back to school and then to work, proceeded to raise seven children on her own.

Jay graduated from the Luverne School System in 2002, and in July, met her husband, George Houston, at a church camp. Jay relocated to Albany, and within two months, she and George were engaged. They married in January 2003 and welcomed a daughter, Sarah Jane, in December of the same year. Two years later, Jay began working as a family and wedding photographer. It wasn’t until 2011 when their second child, Raleigh, was two years old that the Houstons decided to begin the process of becoming foster parents.

“Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany never turns anyone away for their inability to pay and is one of our community’s greatest allies. Everyone is welcome. Clubs keep our kids safe, provide them with a healthy meal every day and empower them to believe that whatever they dream, they can achieve. Club staff nourish members’ bodies and minds with the intention to provide all children in our community with an opportunity to experience these life-changing programs for themselves,” according to Jay.

After a long 18 months working with DFCS, in February 2013, a sibling group of three young boys, ages two, three and four, were placed in the Houstons’ home. Jay recalls the busyness of that season: “All of a sudden we had five kids… two two-year-olds, a three-year-old, a four-yearold and an eight-year-old. I really don’t know how we did it. We had a pool at the time and we played outside a lot...it was a wild and crazy time.” Seven months later, they officially became a family of seven when George and Jay adopted the three boys.

Jay thought their family was complete, but she received a call about another boy—an infant— needing a home in 2016. “We weren’t able to say no, because...who says no?” Jay asks with a hint of sarcasm. In September, just a week before the baby’s first birthday, the Houstons welcomed Eli into their family. According to Jay, “the older boys just adored him from the time he got here, and Eli fit right in...he didn’t even realize he was five years younger.”

While George worked as a Regional Director for Zaxbys, Jay continued with her photography business, which took her away from the family on evenings and weekends. In 2018, Jay decided to look for a job with more predictable daytime hours, and she accepted a position as a recruiter at Necco, a non-profit whose mission is to provide support and resources for foster parents. In her role, Jay found herself back inside the Foster Care system, this time as an advocate and supporter. Some of what Jay witnessed working for Necco was heartbreaking.

Children are most often removed from their families by DFCS due to neglect, physical abuse, and abandonment; drug and alcohol abuse are commonly involved. Unfortunately, many kids experiencing abuse suffered, without advocates, during the Covid-19 lockdowns. A study done by Georgia Tech Public Policy researcher, Lindsey Bullinger, suggests that the financial effects of the pandemic increased all the risk factors for child abuse. Similarly, research at the University of California shows that during 2020, reports of child abuse from teachers and day-care workers dropped from the normal rate of 33% down to 16.4%.

When abuse is reported and homes are not available locally, kids will be forced to change schools, leaving behind family, friends and all of their grounding connections. The goal is always re-unification with the child’s family of origin, if the family is healthy. That often depends on whether or not the biological parents comply with the court’s list of requirements for receiving the child(ren) back into their homes. If they fail to do so over time, the child(ren) becomes available for adoption. When re-unification is not possible, and a suitable home with a biological family member cannot be located, many foster parents end up adopting, but not all; some couples decide to provide short-term care only.

Jay is most passionate about keeping sibling groups together, as it can buffer the detrimental effects on a child when transitioning to a foster home. “If you have one room in your house, maybe you could put bunk beds in and take two children. In my opinion, it can sometimes be much easier to take two foster children than one...if you have one, they feel alone in a new place, but if there are two, they have each other.” Jay knows what it feels like to be separated from her biological siblings, and, as a foster parent herself, has seen first-hand how keeping siblings together is important for their long-term emotional well-being.

One of the fears potential foster parents have is that they will get too attached to their foster child. “Children in Foster Care need people to get attached,” Jay maintains. “Kids need attachment to develop and grow properly. As a community, we need to rally around our kids and show them that they’re valued and important and loved. The thing I want most in this world is for children in need to know there are people in their corner who will meet those needs, no matter what they are.”

Jay’s love for children ultimately led her to Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany in May of 2022 where she currently serves as the Director of Resource Development & Marketing. Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany is a locally funded non-profit that exists as a safe haven for children in Southwest Georgia while providing afterschool and summer care for more than 1,000 children from ages 6-18 in nine

Jay’s personal favorite data talking point is that 93% of members say that they feel safe being themselves at the club, according to a clubwide survey taken by the members themselves. “Providing children with somewhere that they feel safe enough mentally, physically and emotionally that they feel free to be themselves is something we are really proud of.” different locations including Macon County & Plains.

Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany’s mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need them most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring and responsible citizens. “Being at Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany is an opportunity that I don’t take for granted,” says Jay. “In our current times, children and teenagers today face more challenges and stress than ever before. It’s incredible to be a part of a place that offers a sanctuary away from those things, while also providing opportunities for positive guidance, support and so much more.”

According to recent data from Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany, 95% of their members expect to graduate from high school, and 88% of those members expect to complete some kind of post-secondary education. 82% of the club’s teen members volunteer in our community at least once per year and 95% of club members have abstained from alcohol and drug use. As if that wasn’t impressive enough, since 2018, more than 75% of members are listed on A/B Honor Roll.

Jay’s personal favorite data talking point is that 93% of members say that they feel safe being themselves at the club, according to a club-wide survey taken by the members themselves. “Providing children with somewhere that they feel safe enough mentally, physically and emotionally that they feel free to be themselves is something we are really proud of.”

At Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany, children are exposed to nationally awarded programs that teach them things like health and wellness, drug and substance abstinence, character and leadership, financial literacy, the arts, and education and career development. This year, the teens at Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany were given the opportunity to tour colleges in multiple states and had more than $15,000 in scholarships awarded to them to help

Award winning speaker and best-selling author, Josh Shipp, says this, “Every child is one caring adult away from a success story.” Jay Houston couldn’t agree more, which is why she consistently issues this call to action: “I think everyone would agree that the youth of today are the future of tomorrow. The children in this area are worth investing your time, energy and talents into. I invite everyone in our area to get involved in the lives of our local children whether that be through Foster Care or the Boys & Girls Clubs. These kids will teach you so much and remind you what life is all about at the same time.”

To find out more information about foster care visit www.necco.org.

To learn more about how you can get involved with Boys & Girls Clubs of Albany, visit www.bgcalbany.org or reach out to Jay directly at (229)439-0196.

Online Sources: https://iac.gatech.edu/news/ item/638403/school-public-policy-researcherexplores-covid-19-impact-child-welfare and/or https://www.edweek.org/leadership/child-abusecases-got-more-severe-during-covid-19-couldteachers-have-prevented-it/2021/06  ALM

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