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Grace’s story Fostering the Future:
GRACE TRIGLER SPEAKS AT THE 2020 ANGELS STORYTELLING GALA AT THE JONES ASSEMBLY.
BY KRISTY BLOSCH . PHOTOS PROVIDED. Teen connects foster families with local restaurants
getting low because of rising needs in the wake of COVID-19, so we started thinking of innovative solutions to this issue,” said Trigler. One of those solutions was for Trigler to plan and write an application for a $10,000 grant from the Communities Foundation of Oklahoma that would enable Angels to provide its foster families with frozen meals from local restaurants. Trigler and Abney knew many of the local restaurants that have supported Angels in the past have also faced difficulties during the recent shutdowns. If they could use these funds to partner with local restaurants, the project would have double the impact on the community. “This grant will not only help us support our families, but it will also help Angels give back to some of the local restaurants that have been so generous to us,” Abney said. “We’re excited to see this project come full-circle.” Angels was awarded the grant and is in the process of meeting with potential restaurant partners to bring this mutually-beneficial project to life.
“After being involved with Angels, it’s easy to have a passion for foster care when I think of all the opportunities I’ve grown up with and then see how many kids in foster care aren’t given many of those same chances,” said Trigler. “All kids should know they have opportunities to succeed.” Increasing impact through innovative ideas After joining the newly formed Angels junior board in 2018, Trigler was chosen to serve as its president for the 2019-2020 year. The junior board, comprised of high school students, supports Angels by volunteering at various events and developing their own service projects. Many of the volunteer opportunities looked very different during 2020 due to COVID-19, which prompted the organization’s leadership to think of creative ways to continue to serve its families. “We keep a stock of freezer meals that we provide to our [foster] families when they have hard days, but we noticed it was
When Grace Trigler first signed up to be on the Angels Foster Family Network junior board, she, like many teenagers, was simply looking for opportunities to serve her community and help build her resume for college applications. What she wasn’t expecting was the lasting impact she would make on her community and the many ways this organization and its mission would become a true passion. Founded in 2008 by executive director Jennifer Abney, Angels Foster Family Network is a nonprofit organization helping children in foster care find permanency through foster care and then returning to their biological home or adoption. Angels has also been instrumental in changing how our state manages foster care and supports its foster families and children.
38 METROFAMILYMAGAZINE.COM / AUGUST 2020
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