She Left Foster Care With Nothing—Now She’s Giving Others the Fresh Start She Never Had
Once a struggling teen mom, Deanna Terry is now giving foster kids hope
When Deanna Terry aged out of foster care, there was no one to guide her…and she felt forgotten. Now, she’s devoted her life to helping others through the same tough transition. Here, she shares her story with Woman’s World.
Deanna Terry’s emotional journey through foster care
This isn’t fair, Deanna Terry thought on her 18th birthday. How will I survive?
The pregnant Saginaw, Michigan, teen had just aged out of the foster care system and spent her special day packing her belongings into a single bag instead of celebrating.
“I’m ready,” she told the social worker, but her heart was breaking.
By the time she was 14, Deanna had been placed in a group home after running away from an abusive mother, followed by eight different foster homes in three years. Each new family came with its own rules, chores and restrictions. She was constantly saying goodbye to friends and bouncing from school to school. By age 18, she still didn’t have enough credits for her diploma, and no one prepared Deanna for life after foster care.
“Where will you go next?” the social worker asked. But Deanna had no clue.
She moved in with one of her friends. She had her baby, Savannah, found a small place of her own and landed the first of a series of jobs that didn’t last.
Times were tough, but Deanna refused to give up. She earned her GED, and turned a part-time job working for an insurance adjuster into a burgeoning career. She had a second daughter, Lydia, and was even able to buy a small house.
Life finally seemed on the upswing, but then fate dealt another blow — a devastating house fire.
“We need a fresh start,” Deanna told her girls, so she packed what little she had left and found a new job in North Carolina.
From GED to giving back: how Deanna rebuilt her life
Between work and kids, Deanna stayed busy. She rarely socialized, but one night on a dinner date, she opened up and shared her life’s story. “My dad was also in foster care and at 18, he left the system with only the clothes on his back,” Deanna’s date responded, adding, “I’ve always dreamed of starting a program to help foster kids after they turn 18. Maybe when that day comes, we can work together.” The more Deanna thought about the idea, the more she liked it. Only she didn’t want to wait. I want to do something right now, she thought.
She soon took the leap, and decided to start small with gift baskets for young adults who had recently left their foster homes.
Deanna posted her plans on the Nextdoor app and in a Facebook group for her area. Before she knew it, the community stepped up with a steady stream of donations to her project, which she dubbed KeyStep.
Local social services connected Deanna with 20 young men and women, who had recently aged out of foster care or were about to. She presented each of them with a giant basket overflowing with sleeping bags, warm clothing, food and toiletries.
The recipients loved the baskets, but even more, they appreciated that someone cared and was thinking of them.
How KeyStep helps former foster kids thrive
Donations kept pouring in—so many that Deanna rented a storage unit and started a KeyStep pantry where foster kids from ages 18 to 24 can come for food, clothing or just to talk. To Deanna, their stories were all too familiar and often sad. Many were jobless and living on the streets.
“Things can be different,” she said, offering hope — and they listened to Deanna because she knew from experience.
One woman who touched Deanna’s heart was Bri, who was only a few days from being homeless when she stumbled upon KeyStep.
Deanna helped her find a job as a nanny, which offered her both housing and a steady income. Bri had only a sixth-grade education, but today with Deanna’s help, she’s working on her GED.
Darrell was also a frequent visitor to the KeyStep pantry. “I took the money I saved on food and paid off my credit card,” he told Deanna. “Thanks to you, I have a fresh, new start in life!”
Today, Deanna’s daughters Savannah and Lydia both pitch in with other volunteers and assist dozens of former and soon-to-be former foster kids every month with nutrition, housing, essentials and transportation.
For Deanna, helping others has become a lifelong mission, and her past struggles are now her strengths. “If someone had told me, ‘Deanna, this is going to be tough, but when you get through it, you’ll be able to help others,’ I would’ve been amazed,” she says. “I’d never change a thing!”
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