Why Connection Matters for Foster Youth

“I feel like every girl who has experienced trauma like that just needs someone that knows that they care,” Olive said. “They need a parent that loves them and cares for them and knows that they are important in this world.”

There are some needs in a community that are easy to overlook until they become personal, and for Justin and Kasey Jackson, foster care was one of them.

Years ago, the couple was raising their young children and planning for the future when something shifted in their hearts. A news story about a child left behind stayed with Justin long after it ended. He began thinking about the children in their own city who were growing up without stability, support, or a family to call their own.

“We knew we wanted to grow our family more,” Kasey shared. “But God just really opened our eyes to the foster care crisis.”

That quiet stirring eventually led the Jackson family into foster care and adoption. In 2012, two young girls arrived at their front porch and became part of their family forever. What began as an act of obedience became something much deeper. It changed the way the Jacksons saw people, pain, and community.

When Foster Care Becomes Personal

Before fostering, the idea of brokenness in the foster care system felt distant. Justin knew children were struggling, but experiencing it firsthand gave those struggles names, faces, and stories.

“You see the brokenness on both sides,” Justin said. “Both the kids and the family.”

The Jacksons quickly realized how many children carry invisible wounds into every room they enter. Simple things many families take for granted, like structure, encouragement, consistency, and emotional safety, are often missing from the lives of youth in foster care. That understanding stayed with them long after the adoption process ended.

As their children grew older, Kasey felt her heart continuing to pull toward the foster care community. She could not shake the feeling that there were still young people falling through the cracks, especially those aging out of the system without support. Then one day, several young women showed up at the pottery studio looking for work, and that moment changed everything.

“It kind of was like a light bulb,” Kasey said. “That is a whole demographic we hadn’t even thought of yet.”

Those young women eventually became part of the heart behind Good Dirt Collective, a nonprofit focused on creating grace-based employment and community for young women impacted by foster care.

How the Jackson Family’s Story Continues

The Jackson family’s experience with foster care did not end with adoption. As their daughters grew and they learned more about the challenges facing young people in foster care, they became increasingly aware of another group often overlooked: young women aging out of the system without a family to support them.

Justin explained it simply. “They don’t have mom and dad at home laying that groundwork for them,” he said. “When these girls don’t have that, they’re not picking those things up.”

That need inspired the work of Good Dirt Collective, where young women impacted by foster care work in a pottery studio while building relationships with mentors, volunteers, and a supportive community. For Kasey, the heart of the program has always been connection.

“They need time,” she said. “And they need time to know that you aren’t going to leave.”

Through consistent relationships and a supportive community, Good Dirt Collective gives young women a community and a chance to reach their full potential.

The Impact on the Jackson Children

The Jackson family’s journey with adoption shaped Justin and Kasey and their children, who grew up witnessing what it looks like to make room for people, even when it is difficult.

Cambria, the Jacksons’ oldest daughter, was young when her sisters were adopted. As she got older, she began to understand more of what they had experienced before becoming part of their family.

“Learning about what they went through has really made me soften,” Cambria said. “It’s brought more compassion to my heart for people who have experienced trauma and people in the foster care system.”

Watching her parents build Good Dirt Collective deepened that compassion even more. She described seeing her mom come alive while creating a safe place for young women who had experienced foster care.

“Watching my mom, Christy, and Jordan love on these girls like they have their own children has brought so much joy to my heart,” she shared.

Her younger sister, Olive, carries that same heart for connection and belonging. Having experienced foster care herself before being adopted into the Jackson family, Olive understands how deeply young people need to feel loved, seen, and supported. When speaking about young women who age out of foster care, she talked about love.

“I feel like every girl who has experienced trauma like that just needs someone who knows that they care,” Olive said. “They need a parent that loves them and cares for them and knows that they are important in this world.”

Those words capture the heart behind Good Dirt Collective better than any mission statement ever could.

Small Acts of Care Matter

The foster care crisis can feel overwhelming to people who are just beginning to learn about it. Many want to help but feel unqualified or unsure where to begin.

The Jackson family understands that feeling. Their encouragement is simple: start small, stay consistent, and care deeply. You do not need to have all the answers to make a difference in someone’s life. Sometimes healing begins with a safe conversation, a meal shared together, a job opportunity, or simply showing up again and again.

“If it’s tugging on your heart, there’s a reason for it,” Olive said.

At Good Dirt Collective, that belief continues to shape the work every day. Young women impacted by foster care are finding more than employment. They are finding community, mentorship, encouragement, and people willing to stay.

Years ago, Kasey could not stop thinking about a young girl running track with no one cheering from the stands. Today, through Good Dirt Collective, young women are discovering they do not have to navigate life alone. There are people in their corner, cheering them on every step of the way.