'Forgotten Angels' helps teens who age out of foster care, at-risk youth: 'I was blessed to be a blessing'
'Forgotten Angels' helping Bay Area teens
'Forgotten Angels' is a program dedicated to getting teens who aged out of foster care or kids who are at-risk back on the right track.
VALRICO, Fla. - It's a mission close to the heart of a couple in Valrico.
They are the brains behind Forgotten Angels, which is a program dedicated to getting teens who are aged out of foster care, or kids who are at-risk, back on the right track.
The two take on duties of mom and dad, but are proud to do it and change the lives of hundreds of teens who went through their program.
What they're saying:
For Tristan Constable, his life has been anything but smooth.
"I was pretty independent, running an LLC for a while," he remembered. "I hit a rough patch and got in trouble legally, and then I had a really rough patch after that."
But after meeting David Tyler and Cindy Tilley, the trajectory of their lives changed instantly.
"That support and guidance really, they picked up on what you're focused on, and they basically give that chance to achieve it," Constable explained.
What we know:
Cindy Tilley is the founder of Forgotten Angels, and she knows firsthand what it's like to age out of the foster system and not know where to turn.
"I was in the system and when you are seventeen or eighteen, if you have your parents, you're not frightened, you can fall back on them," she explained. "When you aged out of foster care, you turn eighteen, you're expected to learn what to do, how to house yourself and how to feed yourself."
Most of the time, the teens come on their eighteenth birthday, which David Tyler, the executive director of Forgotten Angels, said gives the couple an opportunity to welcome them and show them they are loved.
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"Their first day here is on their birthday, so we go to dinner wherever they want to go," he added. "Then, if they have money left over, we go to Dave and Busters and enjoy time with a few of the boys who have already been through the process."
Big picture view:
The boys are then put into one of the main homes on the property and the hard work begins, setting them up for success.
Tyler said, "We get them a secured credit card that will build their credit back up that were usually destroyed by parents, guardians, and sometimes themselves. We put responsibility on these boys."
After thirty days, the boys then move into a tiny home, equipped with electricity, insulation, televisions, Wi-Fi and a mini-fridge.
"Once we get their credit scores working, we get them into school, whether it's vocational school, trade school or college, whatever they want to do," he explained.
They give these kids a hand up, but not a handout.
They know the hard days may continue after they leave their property.
"I had some call me and say they can't pay their TECO bill, and we didn't know it'd be this high this month," Tilley said. "I would say I have a weed eater with your name on it, you can weed eat, and I'll pay it and help."
She explained that she wants them to know there are no free rides out there, and they have to be self-sufficient.
What's next:
While they've helped hundreds of young men and some girls, they hope to help even more young women by opening up a property focused on them.
"We have another facility we are trying to open," Tilley explained. "It's always been a goal of mine since we lost one of our girls, Takeria Adderly, she was murdered a few years back. If we had housing for her, she may still be here."
Adderley was one of the girls she helped. Investigators say she was murdered by an ex-felon she knew because she wouldn't help him dispose of another man's body.
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He's still going through the court system.
Tilly says Adderly's story isn't rare, and that's why they want to help more young women with their expansion.
"The human trafficking element now is so predominant in these young kids, they are easy pickings," she explained. "If they don't have anyone watching out for them or a safe place to put their head, they can disappear and no one is looking for them and that's not fair."
Making A Difference:
They do know they've made a difference in hundreds of lives.
"I've had an incredibly blessed life," Tyler said. "I believe I was blessed to be a blessing."
And the kids know they will never be forgotten thanks to this team.
"I want them to be self-sufficient, but know they belong with us," Tilley added. "This is their home, regardless of what happens in the world. Christmas and Thanksgiving, they are welcome to come back here, it's home. It's not just a stopping place to get them to the next place, they belong here."
Giving these kids hope and a future that may have been a little less bright.
Constable explained, I started off with practically nothing, and now I have what I have and that I am grateful for."
The organization says they wouldn't be able to help these young men and women without the community. After all, it takes a village to raise a child.
If you'd like to donate to the organization, click here.
The Source: This story was gathered with information from young men who went through the Forgotten Angels program as well as the founder and executive director.