Advocate for children in foster care plans Valentine’s Day event

As That Adopted Girl, Juliana Whitney has been trying to dispel the stigma of adoption by letting kids know that they are special and loved and helping them to be empowered. On Valentine's Day, she plans to bring that to 45 to 50 foster children with dinner and a seminar on loving yourself at That Adopted Girl Valentine's Day event.

"We're going to teach them the importance of self-love," Whitney said. "How to build it, how to maintain it, why it's important and how to love yourself before you can love other people."

The participants will be drawn from the teenage girls in Eagle Quest Group Homes. The focus on girls comes in part because, at recent speaking engagements as That Adopted Girl, Whitney has had many inquires about programs for girls specifically. Edylynn Quijano, program coordinator for Eagle Quest Group Homes, said that there are generally more mentoring programs for boys.

"We have a lot more opportunities for boys in our group homes and foster homes, and nothing really for our girls," Quijano said. "We have a high need for foster homes that can take teen girls, so we wanted to focus on our girls."

The event will be the third one Whitney has done with Eagle Quest Group Homes, following the most recent event on Jan. 18.

"It was a very popular event," Quijano said. "We did makeovers and got their hair done. The partnership with That Adopted Girl has been such a benefit to us."

The event took the children to a salon, followed by a self-worth workshop. The workshop Whitney plans to present at the Feb. 14 dinner is designed to counteract the emotional triggers of the holiday.

"Even full-grown women who were never in the foster care system struggle with self-love, and it gets triggered on Valentine's Day," Whitney said. "I think that's the perfect day to teach these girls about self-love."

Whitney hopes to bring 50 girls to the private event at a local restaurant and is still looking for sponsors.

"People can reserve a place for a girl by sponsoring her spot with a donation of $23 at thatadoptedgirl.com," Whitney said. "It will help a girl create a happy childhood memory and learn how lovable she truly is."

Quijano added that her program is always looking for permanent solutions for the children in the nonprofit's group homes, be it an adoption or a more permanent home.

"We're always looking for people who want to help kids and are interested in foster parenting," Quijano said.

For more information about Eagle Quest Group Homes, visit eaglequestofnevada.org or call 702-646-5437.

For more information about That Adopted Girl, visit thatadoptedgirl.org.

— To reach East Valley View reporter F. Andrew Taylor, email ataylor@viewnews.com or call 702-380-4532.