Connecting children in foster care with their communities

Warren Graver still keeps his favorite book of all time displayed on a shelf in his office.

When their twin sons were younger, they chose as story time the novel “Bud, Not Buddy,” which tells the story of a boy who leaves to find his father in foster care.

“Every person has a person,” he said. “But they’re having a hard time finding that person because we’re disconnected and disconnected from our community.”

Now Graver, 51, of Freeport, spends his free time trying to mend that disconnect.

As an independent contractor, Graver is helping the state of Maine transform child and family services technology. But her most rewarding work happens after hours, when she collaborates with people to find solutions to the foster care crisis.

Warren Graver is a project manager for child and family services in Maine and volunteers with nonprofits to launch a financial literacy program for children in foster care. Gregory Registration/Staff Photographer

Many of the children who leave foster care at age 18 end up homeless or end up in the criminal justice system, Graver said. He uses his connections to help solve problems faced by children in need of foster care.

Her most recent personal project brought together nonprofits and Midcoast Federal Credit Union to create a financial literacy program for children in foster care. The first two savings accounts opened in October.

Graver grew up in Jamaica, where his parents were passionate about service. He said he was “technically” a high school dropout. But his mother gave him time to regroup and move forward.

He is now an author and holds two master’s degrees from Howard and DeVry universities.

Graver said that all of his successes were only possible because he was allowed to fail. He said that although the United States is a country rich in resources, it does not always give children second chances.

Shannon Saxby, who oversees Maine’s Youth Leadership Advisory Team, said Graver thought creatively about connecting children in foster care to their communities, such as giving them tickets to see the orchestra or referring them to job opportunities.

“It’s great to see someone get so excited about someone else’s potential and work so hard to help someone else see theirs,” he said. “And be just as excited and motivated about it as they would be if they had children of their own.”

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