Famous Foster Children Who Have Been Through Foster Care | EHSD

foster care is a fairly inconspicuous part of the system created for the public good. because we’re dealing with children and the delicate situations they’ve been through, we tend to keep a pretty low profile. Still, that doesn’t mean we don’t have thousands of success stories from children who have been through the foster care system. these stories often go unnoticed as children are successfully returned to their parents or adopted (or out of age) from the foster care system.

Sometimes these children become well-known members of society and are a good example of how foster care can have a huge impact on children’s lives. let’s take a look.;

eddie murphy

eddie murphy is one of the highest grossing hollywood stars in the world. After all the Beverly Hills Cop, Klumps and Shrek movies, movies featuring Murphy have grossed more than $3 billion.

When he was only eight years old, Eddie Murphy’s father, a police officer, was murdered. just a year later, eddie’s mother became seriously ill and was unable to care for him and her brother, so they were placed in foster care while she recovered.

colin kaepernick

Whether you agree with his sideline situation or not, you can’t deny that Colin Kaepernick is a great quarterback. Since he began his career as a professional quarterback in 2012, Kaepernick has broken many records in the NFL.

kaepernick, the youngest of three brothers, was placed in foster care and later adopted. another success of the foster system!

steve jobs

steve jobs was one of the most successful businessmen of all time. created apple computers, got fired, watched it fade during his absence in the 1990s, started pixar animation in the meantime, and then got hired back by apple and built it into one of the biggest companies in the world . the ipod, the iphone and the ipad are all his creations.

jobs mother abandoned him when he was born in san francisco in 1954. he spent his foster care experience with his prospective parents until they were able to adopt him.

john lennon

Imagine a life without John Lennon. if he and the beatles hadn’t formed, music wouldn’t have taken many of the leaps it did during the 1960s. after all, the beatles are one of the best examples in history of a group that was bigger than the sum of its parts. he made paul mccartney better, than together they made george and ringo better.

john lennon represents one of the most common forms of foster care, that of a relative caring for a child for a parent who is unable to do so. Lennon was raised by his aunt Mimi for most of his childhood. Although Mimi was never a fan of her early musical aspirations, she did a wonderful thing by taking John in when neither of her parents were around to do so.

marilyn monroe

Few people have the notoriety of Norma Jeane Mortenson, also known as Marilyn Monroe. Model and actress, Monroe would become one of the most famous people in the world thanks to her career and the people she hung out with.

monroe’s mother had a history of mental illness and marilyn spent many years away from her mother and in the care of foster parents.

james dean

marilyn monroe wasn’t the only 1950s icon to receive foster care. james dean, although he only starred in three films, he is today one of the most recognized actors in the world.

Dean’s mother died when he was just nine years old, leaving his father in the lurch. After moving to Indiana, James Dean was raised primarily by his aunt.

willie nelson

willie hugh nelson is one of the most famous country western singers of all time, best known for his songs on the road again and always on my mind. him for over 50 years he’s been churning out songs and, at 84, he hasn’t slowed down much. he still tours the country regularly.

nelson was born during the great depression. After being abandoned by both of his parents, Nelson was eventually taken in by his grandparents. they were the ones who introduced him to music.

ice t

You know tracy morrow aka ice t from somewhere. after all, he is a rapper, heavy metal musician, songwriter, actor, author, and record producer. for 17 years he has played a police officer in law & amp; request: svu.

While record labels have attributed the death of ice t’s parents to a car accident to make it seem more tragic, ice t himself acknowledges that both parents died of heart attacks during their childhood. after that, two of his aunts took him in the angels. This environment greatly influences his future careers.

luis armstrong

louis armstrong is one of the greatest trumpet players of all time. For five decades, his incredible playing made him a top record seller as jazz and dixieland became popular.

armstrong’s parents, unable to care for him, sent him to live with various relatives in new orleans in the early 20th century.

her

cher, born cherilyn sarkisian, is one of the most successful singer-songwriters of all time. It all started when she and her husband, Sonny Bono, released the hit single “I Got You Babe” in 1965, and she’s been making music ever since. She has also been praised for her performances in films such as The Witches of Eastwick and Moonstruck (winning an Oscar for Best Actress for the latter).

Because of illness, Cher’s mother couldn’t take care of her for a while, so she was taken in by her grandparents.

alonzo mourning

Alonzo Luto, or Zo as he is sometimes called, played most of his career with the Miami Heat basketball team. he was so successful, in fact, that he was the first player on that team to have his number retired. His specialty was defense, and he was twice named the NBA Defensive Player of the Year.

After his parents’ divorce, home life was not easy for Alonzo. Already six feet tall at the age of 12, things improved when she moved in with a family friend who had extensive experience raising children.

They are far from the only kids who have grown up to be incredibly successful, but each one of them is certainly an inspiration. Although the child you adopt is probably not famous, he will almost certainly become a better person because of you. Contact contra costa county foster care services today if you think you might like to be a foster parent.