‘They have really beaten the odds’: community celebrates, supports foster kids graduating high school

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) - Donovan Slick-Driscoll, a graduating senior at Kennedy High School, said, “If you had asked me four or five years ago if I’d graduate high school, I’d say no.”

Slick-Driscoll is graduating, though, and on Sunday he and twenty other students who grew up in the foster care system were celebrated during an open house at Radiant Church.

“I grew up in a very rough life. Like growing up being abused for eight years,” said Slick-Driscoll.

“Around half of kids in foster care actually graduate high school,” said Kristi Pingel, Connections Pastor at Radiant Church. “So, to have 21 kids here today, they have really beaten the odds.”

Pingel said kids in a traditional home might get gifts and money from parents and relatives upon graduating, but that’s not always the case for kids in the foster system. The open house was a chance for the church and members of the community to give the kids money and presents and help set them up for the next stage in life.

“They’re helping us, giving us free money that we can use, maybe to save it up for college,” said Gift Gonpue, another graduating senior.

As much as the money helps, the kids TV9 spoke to said what was even more meaningful was the recognition.

“It’s not even about how—what we get out of this,” said Slick-Driscoll. “It’s about people...being here with us, you know, giving up their time just to be here and celebrating those kids who can graduate that are in the foster system.”

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