From a foster kid to a court appointed advocate – to Congress

Rodney Govens is fighting for Arkansas’ most vulnerable kids. {NAME},  As we come to the end of National Foster Care Awareness Month, we wanted to highlight one of your Vortex candidates with a special connection to the foster system.  For Rodney Govens, foster care is not just a policy issue – it’s personal.  Rodney was placed in the foster care system at twelve years old. He describes his experience as unusually lucky, and “an aberration.”  Rodney recorded this video about his experience as a foster youth, and the experience he carried forward into his work as a court-appointed special advocate (CASA) for foster kids. His story is pretty remarkable, and I’d encourage you to give it a watch. [An animated gif of Rodney Govens speaking about his experience as a foster youth. Clicking the image opens a page where the video can be played in full.]( [See more >>Â]( One of the many reasons I’m so excited about Rodney’s candidacy is that I’ve had my own journey with foster care.  My wife and Vanessa and I adopted our daughter Ari out of foster care when she was very young. Today she’s a beautiful, thriving young adult, and I feel so lucky to be her dad. [A collage of seven photos from the Vortex/Vote Common Good border experience trip. From left to right, top to bottom: 1) A shelter worker addresses a seated crowd. 2) A photo of a distressed sign with an arrow pointing left that reads “TO MEXICO” in all caps. 3) A photo of people dancing in a congo line. 4) A young Latino woman stands over a weaving loom. 5) A young Latino girl pulls gently on the beard of an American man. 6) A young Black teen playfully boxes with an American visiting the center. 7) Vortex’s Rodney Govens sits and speaks with a family of migrants at the shelter.]( But most kids in the system aren’t as lucky. Foster care systems are chronically underfunded, leaving foster parents to struggle financially and caseworkers severely overloaded.  Right now, there are approximately 391,000 children in the foster care system on any given day, but only around 50,000 are adopted each year. The vast majority of foster kids “age out” of the system – meaning they remain in foster care until they reach 18 and are no longer eligible for custodial support.  There’s a LOT that Congress can do about this – from expanded funding for foster care programs and establishing transitional programs for kids who age out, to incentivizing foster parenting with childcare subsidies and getting more support for caseworkers.  While Rodney’s opponent is running cover for a criminal president just convicted on 34 felony counts, Rodney is running for Congress to protect Arkansas kids. But we need your help to get him there.  [We’ve set a goal to raise $5,000 for Rodney’s campaign today to help him close out May strong. Can you pitch in $25, $50, $100 or more directly to his campaign today?]( [Donate to Rodney >>]( I know with people like Rodney in Congress, we can create a system where every child has the support and opportunities they need to succeed. Where his experience doesn’t have to be an aberration – it can be the norm.  Thanks for supporting Rodney today and for following our work at Vortex to elect a new generation of leaders who will fight for ordinary Arkansans.  Robb P.S. You can also join Rodney’s upcoming Town Hall streaming live from Facebook next Thursday, June 6, at 7pm CT. [Click here to register.]( [Support Vortex PAC >>](      Vortex PAC is a new grassroots movement to transform Arkansas politics away from the far-right. We are recruiting, training, and supporting Democratic candidates to flip all four of Arkansas’ U.S. congressional districts and help win back the House majority in 2024. [DONATE >>](   You can follow Vortex PAC on social media using the links below:  [Facebook]( | [X]( | [Instagram]( | [TikTok](   Paid for by Vortex PAC  ©2024 Vortex PAC, all rights reserved  Our mailing address is: Vortex PAC PO Box 1141 Springdale, AR 72765 We're sad to see you go, but if you believe you received this email in error, or you no longer wish to receive our emails you can unsubscribe using the link below: [Click here to unsubscribe.]( Sent via [ActionNetwork.org](. To update your email address, change your name or address, or to stop receiving emails from Vortex PAC, please [click here](.