Ashley Rhodes-Courter endured years of abuse in the state's foster
care system before being adopted into a nurturing home.
She described being starved and whipped in one Plant City foster home,
and sued the state over the treatment she endured.
She decided to draw on those experiences when entering a national
writing contest.
Her essay Three Little Words, describes the emotions swirling through
her mind during her adoption hearing, which was videotaped
by a family member.
It was one of 3,000 essays submitted to a New York Times Magazine
writing and photography contest for high school students.
Last week, it was announced she had won the writing contest. The award
comes with a $1,000 prize.
The three little words were: "I guess so," her noncommittal reply to
the judge who asked if she wanted the adoption to become
official.
The adoption wasn't a happy moment because she had seen others
adopted, only to return when they became too disruptive for
their parents to handle. She feared everything would change once the
papers were signed.
"I just wanted to tell the truth," she said. "It wasn't easy to write,
but it allowed me to express those thoughts in very real terms."
Her life up until the adoption hadn't been easy, either.
She was taken into state custody in 1989 at age 3 from a mother who
abused drugs. Over the next decade she spent time in 13 foster
homes, eventually winding up in Plant City at the home of Charles and
Marjorie Moss, where, she said, she was mistreated.
"I was beaten with a paddle, denied food, forced to stand in awkward
positions, swallow hot sauce and run laps in the blistering sun,"
she wrote in her essay.
The Mosses later were arrested after accusations of physically and
emotionally abusing several of their foster children.
In June 2002, Ashley sued the state Department of Children and
Families, saying officials there knowingly placed her in dangerous
homes with adults who had a history of abuse and alcoholism.
She said DCF case workers also stopped scheduling semi-annual judicial
reviews of her case and failed to visit her to see if she
was okay.
The suit recently was settled, she said.
In praising her recent essay, the judges said the "powerful essay
describes the moment that her torturous path through foster care
ended and her life with her new family began."
"I was absolutely ecstatic," Ashley said about winning the contest.
"It's one of the biggest honors and privileges of my life."
Ashley, 17, is a student at Crystal River High, where she takes
dual-enrollment courses that also give her college credits. She'll be
a
senior at Crystal River High in the fall and later plans to attend the
University of Central Florida.
Her life now, with her parents Philip Ray and Gay Courter, is filled
with things many teens take for granted, such as phones, a
well-stocked refrigerator, an after-school job and sleepovers with
friends.
Her adoptive mother recalls the adoption hearing was an emotional day.
"I kissed her on the cheek and she wiped the spot with her hand, as if
to rub it off," Courter said.
This isn't the first time Ashley has drawn upon her foster care
experience to win an essay contest.
In October 2000, her essay about how the book Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone affected her life won her a trip to New York City
to meet author J.K. Rowling and to appear on NBC's Today show.
"She's also a national-level public speaker on foster care and
adoptions," Courter said. "She's spoken to Congress and been to the
White House.
"That's one reason why she wants to go to the University of Central
Florida, which is in Orlando, where they have lots of potential
convention audiences for her speaking career."
An excerpt from
'Three Little Words'
.. . . It was July 28,1998, my adoption day. I had spent almost 10 of
my 12 years in foster care; I was now living in my 14th placement.
Some homes had lasted less than a week; few more than a year. So why
would this one be any different? Before this placement, I
had been in residential care (the politically correct name for an
orphanage). Do you remember the movie The Cider House Rules,
when the orphans try to smile in just the right way so they will be
picked by the couple shopping for a child? While it wasn't supposed
to be so obvious at the Children's Home of Tampa, prospective parents
did act as though they were looking at puppies in a pet
shop. For more than two and a half years I watched the few lucky dogs
pack up their belongings, wave goodbye and exit the gate. I
also saw them return - even after being placed with a family - with
their tails between their legs. People made promises about "forever
families," but often something went wrong. I don't know what families
expected. Nobody is perfect, and children who have already
been rejected by their parents - or at least feel they've been - are
hoping that someone will love them no matter how they behave. I
had been living with my new family for eight months. Everything seemed
to be going well, but would that change after the papers were
signed? And just because it was "official," did it mean they would not
send me back if I didn't live up to their expectations? . . .
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/index.html?ts=1055240960
Ashley Rhodes-Courter endured years of abuse in the state's foster
care system before being adopted into a nurturing home.
She described being starved and whipped in one Plant City foster home,
and sued the state over the treatment she endured.
She decided to draw on those experiences when entering a national
writing contest.
Her essay Three Little Words, describes the emotions swirling through
her mind during her adoption hearing, which was videotaped
by a family member.
It was one of 3,000 essays submitted to a New York Times Magazine
writing and photography contest for high school students.
Last week, it was announced she had won the writing contest. The award
comes with a $1,000 prize.
The three little words were: "I guess so," her noncommittal reply to
the judge who asked if she wanted the adoption to become
official.
The adoption wasn't a happy moment because she had seen others
adopted, only to return when they became too disruptive for
their parents to handle. She feared everything would change once the
papers were signed.
"I just wanted to tell the truth," she said. "It wasn't easy to write,
but it allowed me to express those thoughts in very real terms."
Her life up until the adoption hadn't been easy, either.
She was taken into state custody in 1989 at age 3 from a mother who
abused drugs. Over the next decade she spent time in 13 foster
homes, eventually winding up in Plant City at the home of Charles and
Marjorie Moss, where, she said, she was mistreated.
"I was beaten with a paddle, denied food, forced to stand in awkward
positions, swallow hot sauce and run laps in the blistering sun,"
she wrote in her essay.
The Mosses later were arrested after accusations of physically and
emotionally abusing several of their foster children.
In June 2002, Ashley sued the state Department of Children and
Families, saying officials there knowingly placed her in dangerous
homes with adults who had a history of abuse and alcoholism.
She said DCF case workers also stopped scheduling semi-annual judicial
reviews of her case and failed to visit her to see if she
was okay.
The suit recently was settled, she said.
In praising her recent essay, the judges said the "powerful essay
describes the moment that her torturous path through foster care
ended and her life with her new family began."
"I was absolutely ecstatic," Ashley said about winning the contest.
"It's one of the biggest honors and privileges of my life."
Ashley, 17, is a student at Crystal River High, where she takes
dual-enrollment courses that also give her college credits. She'll be
a
senior at Crystal River High in the fall and later plans to attend the
University of Central Florida.
Her life now, with her parents Philip Ray and Gay Courter, is filled
with things many teens take for granted, such as phones, a
well-stocked refrigerator, an after-school job and sleepovers with
friends.
Her adoptive mother recalls the adoption hearing was an emotional day.
"I kissed her on the cheek and she wiped the spot with her hand, as if
to rub it off," Courter said.
This isn't the first time Ashley has drawn upon her foster care
experience to win an essay contest.
In October 2000, her essay about how the book Harry Potter and the
Sorcerer's Stone affected her life won her a trip to New York City
to meet author J.K. Rowling and to appear on NBC's Today show.
"She's also a national-level public speaker on foster care and
adoptions," Courter said. "She's spoken to Congress and been to the
White House.
"That's one reason why she wants to go to the University of Central
Florida, which is in Orlando, where they have lots of potential
convention audiences for her speaking career."
An excerpt from
'Three Little Words'
.. . . It was July 28,1998, my adoption day. I had spent almost 10 of
my 12 years in foster care; I was now living in my 14th placement.
Some homes had lasted less than a week; few more than a year. So why
would this one be any different? Before this placement, I
had been in residential care (the politically correct name for an
orphanage). Do you remember the movie The Cider House Rules,
when the orphans try to smile in just the right way so they will be
picked by the couple shopping for a child? While it wasn't supposed
to be so obvious at the Children's Home of Tampa, prospective parents
did act as though they were looking at puppies in a pet
shop. For more than two and a half years I watched the few lucky dogs
pack up their belongings, wave goodbye and exit the gate. I
also saw them return - even after being placed with a family - with
their tails between their legs. People made promises about "forever
families," but often something went wrong. I don't know what families
expected. Nobody is perfect, and children who have already
been rejected by their parents - or at least feel they've been - are
hoping that someone will love them no matter how they behave. I
had been living with my new family for eight months. Everything seemed
to be going well, but would that change after the papers were
signed? And just because it was "official," did it mean they would not
send me back if I didn't live up to their expectations? . . .
http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/index.html?ts=1055240960
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