Ron Inge, Jessica Stanfield, Ashley Rhodes-Courter. -SHANE ANTALICK PHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY PHOTO

A.N.A.’s Friends launched a new initiative, Among Friends, to raise awareness and spark dialogue about children and teens in Florida’s foster care system.

Held April 10 at Caloosa Sound Convention Center in Fort Myers, “Among Friends: A Conversation about Healing, Belonging and the Power of Connection” was a gathering of 212 guests for solutions to instability of foster care placements, shortages of foster parents, burnout among social workers and an overloaded child welfare system.

“The ‘A.N.A.’ in A.N.A.’s Friends represents children who have been abused, neglected and abandoned, and their ‘friends’ include those with compassion, understanding and a willingness to advocate for children who often lack a voice in the dependency court system,” said Jessica Stanfield, CEO of the Southwest Florida-based nonprofit.

Teresa Watkins Brown, Armor Persons, Laurie Lehmann. -SHANE ANTALICK PHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY PHOTO

Cole Peacock, Spencer Roach. -SHANE ANTALICK PHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY PHOTO

Jean Lederer, Gary Lederer. -SHANE ANTALICK PHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY PHOTO

Kathy Greenberg, Bruce Greenberg. -SHANE ANTALICK PHOTOGRAPHY / COURTESY PHOTO

Author and child welfare advocate Ashley Rhodes-Courter headlined Among Friends. Born to a single teen mother and shuffled between 14 foster homes and institutions before being adopted at age 12, Rhodes-Courter is the author of New York Times bestselling memoirs “Three Little Words” and “Three More Words,” which follow her personal journey through Florida’s foster care system.

Attorney Spencer Roach, a former Guardian ad Litem and foster parent to 31 children over the years, was among those in attendance. As a Florida state representative, Roach filed a bill to reduce the amount of time children spend in foster care. The bill, “A Year is a Long Time in the Life of a Child Act,” was signed into law in 2019.

Originally founded in 1983, A.N.A.’s Friends is a United Way Partner Agency that serves youth in the dependency court system across Collier, Lee, Charlotte, Hendry and Glades counties. For more information, please visit ANAsfriends.org or call 239-245-7787.