Over 400,000 children each year are not able to live with their families as the result of abuse, neglect and abandonment. Since 1966, Trinity Youth Services has answered the call to this societal challenge by providing the safety and care children need, in foster homes and residential treatment settings, where they learn to cope with and heal from the trauma in their lives.
Cher Ofstedahl joins us to share her own personal story of sexual abuse, rescue and ultimately unconditional love she received from her adopted family that allowed her to heal and become a passionate and outspoken advocate for children.
As Trinity’s Chief Operating Officer, she describes how providing hope, happiness and security to a youth in crisis is a priority that she and Trinity’s entire management and staff share.
Through services such as the Foster-Adopt Program, foster parents have an opportunity to adopt foster children who are not able to be reunified with their family.
Trinity’s Home-Based Family Foster Care was created for children who have been removed from their homes due to trauma, abuse, neglect and/or delinquency, and for children with more complex emotional and behavioral issues, their Intensive Services Foster Care (ISFC) allows for only one child to be placed in the foster home where extensive support services for the child are provided.
Last, but not least are their extended mental health services in which each child is screened to determine their need for mental health interventions. If a need is identified the child is assessed, assigned a treatment team and has a treatment plan customized to his or her particular needs.
ABOUT CHER OFSTEDAHL
Cher Ofstedahl is the picture of success. She is a revered stand-up comic and multi-talented business leader who is a long-standing champion for disadvantaged children. Her beloved agency, Trinity Youth Services, is a recognized foster care and adoptions agency throughout Southern California and Houston, Texas.
Even with all of her outward success, Cher’s journey to self-love and empowerment was a long one. Her mother was an addict who allowed years of sexual abuse to take place. In fact, abuse became a way of life during her childhood. The cruelty she experienced contributed to her passion for saving abused youth.
Since Trinity’s inception, over 65,000 youth have been saved. We are committed to saving even more youth so that they will have the opportunity to have a nurturing family. Having a supportive “chosen” family is what ultimately saved Cher’s life.
The turning point came when her drama teacher and his wife became her guardians and took her into their home. The experience taught Cher that it takes only one caring adult to change a child’s life. She was finally able to experience unconditional love, and felt special for the first time in her life. Cher now takes the love she was given and shares it with thousands of abused children who have lost hope.
Cher was recently honored by California State Senator, Anthony Portantino, for her exemplary leadership.
Cher is an inspiration to women in our community and would be a great guest to discuss how adoption changes lives and how people can become foster or adoptive parents.
