A Forever Family
Fostering Change One Child at a Time
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4.5 • 4 Ratings
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
In the tradition of The Promise of a Pencil and Kisses from Katie comes an inspirational memoir by the founder of Comfort Cases about his turbulent childhood in the foster care system and the countless obstacles and discrimination he endured in adopting his four children.
Rob Scheer never thought that he would be living the life he is now. He’s happily married to his partner and love of his life, he’s the father of four beautiful children, and he’s the founder of an organization that makes life better for thousands of children in the foster care system.
But life wasn’t always like this.
Growing up in an abusive household before his placement in foster care, Rob had all the odds stacked against him. Kicked out of his foster family’s home within weeks after turning eighteen—with a year left of high school to go—he had to resort to sleeping in his car and in public bathrooms. He suffered from drug addiction and battled with depression, never knowing when his next meal would be or where he would sleep at night. But by true perseverance, he was able to find his own path and achieve his wildest dreams.
“A heartwarming, hopeful memoir brimming with humanitarianism and compassion” (Kirkus Reviews), Rob’s story provides a glimpse into what it’s like to grow up in the foster care system, and sheds necessary light on the children who are often treated without dignity. Both a timely call to action and a courageous and candid account of life in the foster care system, A Forever Family ultimately leaves you with one message: one person can make a difference.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Scheer, founder of Comfort Cases, a charity that provides backpacks for foster children (stocked with sleepwear, books, toiletries, etc.), shares the gripping story of his own troubled childhood and his experience adopting four foster children as an adult. As a boy growing up in 1970s Virginia, Scheer was physically abused by his father while his mother turned a blind eye. She eventually fled with her son and two older daughters only to settle with a boyfriend who was also abusive; within a few years she died of cancer, and the 12-year-old Scheer was sent to live with his biological father, who eventually abandoned him (his sisters were old enough to live on their own). A neighbor agreed to foster him, but her husband mistreated Scheer, and at 18 he left, sleeping in his car and public restrooms during his senior year of high school. After years of failed relationships as an adult, Scheer met and fell in love with a kind and caring man named Reece and they moved in together, eventually marrying. The memoir toggles between Scheer's early life and the couple's more recent struggle to adopt two sets of African-American siblings who arrived with their few possessions in trash bags (which later prompted Scheer to launch the Comfort Case nonprofit). Scheer's determination to "be the father that I never had" while helping kids in the flawed foster care system, will inspire, educate, and astound readers.
Customer Reviews
Inspiring
This life story is inspiring! As a gay father who has adopted children I related so much to the struggle with adoption and I too remember the garbage bags my boys brought home the first night. This book makes me realize there’s still so much more work to do for the community of children in the system.