Man walks to spread awareness about foster care

WICHITA FALLS, TX (TNN) - One man shares his nearly impossible journey through the foster care system in efforts to raise awareness for fostering and adoption across Texoma.

Glenn Kosters' remarkable journey began with not one but two adoptions. He was adopted once at age six and again at 10 and continues with a mission to cross the country, on foot, to bring awareness to fostering and adoption.

“I call this my project interrupted, and I’m going to communities and talking about what I’m doing. This (Wichita Falls) wasn’t on my walk although Texas was,” said Koster.

Koster started his walk last February in South Miami Beach and got to Nebraska when issues with his health and support vehicle forced him to stop walking and start talking.

“If a child reaches the age for 10 their chances drop in half, when they reach 13, it drops in half again, and by the time the child reaches 15 they will almost never be adopted,” said Koster

Koster recounted his own hardships to inspire others to take action.

“I’m a recovering alcoholic that will be sober 30 years in March and a recovering spousal abuser that will be 30 years violence-free in May and I will tell that story about how it affected me and how the system affected me and the fact that I can’t be a foster parent, so this is my chance to give back,” Koster said.

Koster says you don’t have to adopt a child or foster to help. Get involved in whatever way you can.

“More importantly, I think we need to be mentors whether is through Big Brother or Big Sister or many schools have mentoring programs, get involved show these kids what life is about. The older these kids get into the system the more important that really is. They don’t have good life skills, they do not have what it takes to survive,” Koster said.

He has been documenting his journey and on Facebook and hopes to reduce the number of children in foster care one step at a time.

Koster hopes to resume his walk this May. He’ll pick up where he left off in Nebraska and head to Washington. Koster adds his route is more of a stair-step route, purposefully, longer to symbolize foster care is a national problem.

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