Blue Missions 2024: Building Strong Community
By Kadie Black, President & CEO
This year, our team, alongside BLUE Missions and Genesis Hopeful Haven, traveled with 17 of our youth experiencing foster care to the Dominican Republic to the community of Cambiaso, in Puerto Plata, to build latrines for a needy community. In this remote area, our youth deepened their sense of community. Together, they diligently worked under the scorching heat to improve the lives of people that were strangers just days prior. They realized that overcoming challenges is easier together. They learned to reach out for help when they needed it, and to be there for others when needed. Even amidst challenging living conditions, our youth remained incredibly grateful – for the chance to connect, contribute to the community, and their lives back home.
The irony wasn't lost on any of us, chaperones included: our long journey (730 miles, to be exact) brought us closer to the very sense of community.
For children in care, a strong community is a lifeline. Being removed from their parents, regardless of the circumstances, is a deeply traumatic experience. Our youth grapple with emotions like loneliness, guilt, and grief. The connections they forge on these BLUE Missions trips offer a powerful counterpoint – a sense of belonging, acceptance, and unwavering support.
But it wasn't all work and no play! Our youth were also able to experience the vibrant city, explore the sea on a catamaran adventure, and soar through the air on a zipline. These moments of joy and connection strengthened the bonds being formed.
Our return trip was bittersweet. While our team was understandably tired after a packed week, the goodbyes were tough. At the airport in Miami, we were greeted by balloons and excited faces from our Voices team and community partners Citrus Family Care Network and Genesis Hopeful Haven. Two youth even shed happy tears, not wanting the adventure to end. Another emotional reunion unfolded as a young man embraced his Guardian ad Litem after a week filled with "firsts" – a first plane ride, first time out of Florida, and the first time he felt safe expressing his emotions.
This trip will forever hold a special place in my heart: it was a transformative experience for everyone involved.
