Today we’d like to introduce you to Cedric Fowler.
Cedric, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I grew up in foster care at the age of four & adopted at the age of six. I was put into the system because my mom was on drugs & constantly moving from place to place. I went through a lot as a child. I suffered physical, sexual & mental abuse. I also experienced neglect from the age of 5 to 15. I have never had a birthday party. At the age of 14, I kept running away because I wanted to get put back into foster care at the Austin Children’s Shelter because it was one of the safest places I could remember. It was here that I experienced some of the happiest moments in my childhood. I finally went back into foster care at the age of 14 at the Texas Baptist Children’s Home in Round Rock, TX due to the continued sexual and physical abuse I endured from my family members at home. The time that I spent with my biological family as a child really damaged me, it left me angry and closed off. It made it hard to trust other families that looked like me. FHL Ministries 1 Corinthians 13 was born once I realized how broken the foster care system was once, I aged out. I thought about other kids like me who aged out. I personally experienced homelessness once I was out of the foster care system. While on my journey to get to where I am today, I encountered other former foster kids who shared some of the same hardships I faced once I was out of faster care. My upbringing motivates me to make what FHL Ministries 1 Corinthians 13 is today.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Like most organizations like mine, it has not been a smooth road. I’ve come to find that nothing worth having comes easy. In the midst of starting this organization I became a single father and experienced homelessness. It was definitely an adjustment in taking care of my beautiful daughter full time and also trying to figure out how expose the brokenness of Child Protective Services across America.
We’d love to hear more about the organization.
My ministry/non-profit specializes in the foster care system, but specifically Child Protective Services. Our mission is to change and get more awareness of the brokenness in the foster care/adoptive care system across America. We execute this mission by getting clothes for the youth aged out of the system, attending panels pertinent to the CPS/Foster Care/Adoptive system, mentoring youth that have already or are about to age out of the system, and by sharing real statistics and data to the public on our Facebook page. F.H.L. 1 Corinthians 13 is a faith-based organization and we are led by Christ. Our organization is set apart from the others because I have experienced and understand what the youth that we are trying to help are going through.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I have had some amazing mentors and supporters throughout this journey. I would like to acknowledge my Cross-Country Coach at Del Valle High School who inspired and motivated me to not give up on myself. I’d like to thank my foster parents, Clinton and Carrie Hardeman, who helped me by not only providing the love that I needed from a family but also pushing me to become the best man I can become. Last but not least I would like to thank and acknowledge Reverend Lakesha Barnett, the young adult minister at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, for believing in me, fostering my spiritual growth, and being the catalyst for where my organization is today.
Contact Info:
- Phone: 832-819-0714
- Email: fhlministries1cor13@gmail.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fhlministries1cor13
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