Kimberly Castro Aleman was living in a foster care group home at age 11 when a representative from Hope & A Future visited the girls in the home and invited them to attend Royal Family Kids’ Camp. “That experience was so much fun,” said Kimberly. “There was bible study, archery, horseback riding and a birthday party for all of the kids.” After camp, Kimberly stayed involved with Hope & A Future and she began participating in their “pay for grades” program, which encouraged her to “really start focusing on school and working on her grades.” She attended a Sunsplash event and reconnected with the volunteers and kids who she had met at camp.
“Hope & A Future is different because at all their events, you get to see the same volunteers and the same kids,” adds Kimberly. “They create a family for you and provide consistent support in my life.” Over the years Kimberly moved several times. New group homes. New schools. “I always hung on to the business card from Hope & A Future so when I moved, I could still reach out to them and continue participating in all of their programs.” She attended RFKC for another year, and then T.R.A.C. camp for three years. She has rarely missed a monthly Life 360 event.
And for the past three years, Kimberly has been a volunteer for Royal Family Kids’ Camp. “For kids in foster care, nothing matters more than relationships, personal attention and consistency,” adds Kimberly. “I’m so happy to give back the joy that I received to other kids in the system who think they don’t deserve it.”
Kimberly graduated from high school in May and has one more year at the East Valley Institute of Technology to earn a certificate in early childhood education. “In the DCS system you’re just a file,” said Kimberly, “however, Hope & Future took me in and built a profile of their own.”