A Letter From The Interim Director
Jennifer Shebesta

Post

Hello families!
My  name is Jennifer Shebesta I am excited to be part of the Stanford Youth Solutions Foster Care Team once again.  Molly Fechter-Leggett has done an amazing job as the Foster Care Director since 2010 and she will be missed.  I will be stepping in to provide interim coverage until a new Foster Care Director starts.  I was fortunate to have heldthis position previously from 2007-2010, so I am familiar with the general operations and program.  For those of you that have been with the program awhile, hello again!

The theme for this month is integrity.  We all strive to be true to our word, to be responsible and loyal to our friends, families, jobs, and neighbors, and to surround ourselves with others who do the same.  As one of Stanford Youth Solutions’ values, integrity is a cornerstone of our culture.  Each of you were selected as Resource Parents with our agency because you have demonstrated your integrity in several ways.

Real integrity is doing the right thing, knowing that nobody’s going to know whether you did it or not.  -Oprah Winfrey

Live so that when your children think of fairness, caring, and integrity, they think of you.
-H. Jackson Brown, Jr.

I invite each of you to reflect on how you demonstrate integrity in your families, how you are a role model for the young people you care for, and how you teach integrity to the younger generations.  Often the best way for children to develop this quality is for adults to role-model and demonstrate it.  Our actions often speak louder than words.

A final quote for your consideration:

“Parents, teach your children to express themselves. Teach them to be in touch with their emotions, to speak honestly to people, and to maintain integrity and stick by their principles in all they do. This is perhaps the highest morality you can instill.“  -Jeffery Bryant (born 1965)

As we work together to help young people express themselves, be in touch with their emotions, speak honestly, and stick up for their principles, we will undoubtedly be making a real difference.  Thanks for all you do and I look forward to meeting with all of you in the coming weeks.

Jennifer Shebesta, LMFT