‘A Poem For US’
An original poem by JIT participant Mialissa Flores
Mialissa was 18 when she was referred to Just in Time (JIT) by her Independent Living Skills Specialist. She has engaged in multiple JIT services. Her favorites have been Financial Fitness and College Bound where she was able to forge consistent and meaningful relationships with her coaches. She continues to be a vibrant and vocal member of the JIT community, especially through our newest communication tool, the Just in Time Network, where this poem was originally published.
“A Poem For US” By Mialissa Flores.
Life is good.
It ain’t perfect and neither am I.
But I am here.
I more than just exist
I am alive and I finally want to be
And No longer giving company to misery
as insignificant as it may seem
once upon a time this was all just an outlandish dream.
Incapable
Impossible
Just your statistical
Foster kid.
Do you want to tell them
Or should I
That there’s more to me than what meets the eye
But Did you hear that?
What they tried to tell me
About what I am
The kind of life I would lead
And who they expected me to be?
So much for land of the free
Life is good.
It ain’t perfect and neither are we
But we are here
And we more than just exist
We were born to resist
Life is good.
Even though they said it couldn’t be.
Not for you and me
Maybe they didn’t know
What We’ve just found out
We are whatever we choose to be
And together we
mend what they’ve broken with their inequity
We’ll destroy what they’ve built through conformity
And Because of who we’ve decided to be
We have begun to cultivate the way they’re running OUR society
They had no idea what would happen when we came together
So much more than just a community
But Did you hear that?
What they tried to tell us
About who we were
And what we were allowed to be
How they’d predetermined our destiny
Yah, we heard.
So are you going to tell them
Or should we?
Never mind they’ll see
Life is good.
– to the priest who started foster care, who tried to tell us who and what we were going to be before we were even born. For generations one man and his words determined the lives of millions of foster youth, and who they would become and what kind of lives they would lead.
But not us. Not anymore.
Special thanks to Mialissa Flores for taking the time to write this impactful poem.
LASTING IMPACT
NEWLY PUBLISHED BOOK
100K COMMUNITY
STAFF
ANNUAL REPORT
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
INVESTORS & SPONSORS
COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS
FINANCIALS
FAQS
LASTING IMPACT
NEWLY PUBLISHED BOOK
100K COMMUNITY
STAFF
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
INVESTORS & SPONSORS
COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS
FINANCIALS
ANNUAL REPORT
FAQS
LASTING IMPACT
NEWLY PUBLISHED BOOK
100K COMMUNITY
STAFF
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
INVESTORS & SPONSORS
COMMUNITY COLLABORATIONS
FINANCIALS
ANNUAL REPORT
FAQS
Block Party 3/30/2024
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Rise to Resilience Retreat 3/9/2024
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I Love Community Week 2/22-23/2024
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EMERGENCY NEEDS & STABLE HOUSING
RELIABLE TRANSPORTATION
ESSENTIAL EDUCATION
MEANINGFUL EMPLOYMENT
FINANCIAL LITERACY
HEALTHY PRACTICES & WELLBEING
Welcome to JIT!
We're excited to meet you! More than half our staff are former foster youth, many of us have participated in JIT’s services. We understand first-hand the challenges that each of us face on our path to self-sufficiency. And we are proof that having essential resources and consistent relationships with caring adults can have a lasting positive impact. Reliable, Responsive Real– JIT peers, coaches and staff share a common commitment to empowering you. Welcome to YOUR new community.
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