Journee, 20 years old, VA | 24 DAYS WAITING

Wish submitted by:

The Friends of Foster Care

Journee finds the right words for feelings most people can’t name, and when she reads her poetry aloud, a quiet room leans in to listen. Journee has lived through more change than most people twice her age. Removed from her home and placed into foster care, she moved between households and schools, learning to start over again and again, often with little warning and few belongings. Poetry became the one constant, a place where she could be fully heard when it felt like no one was listening. She is also the first to admit that walking into new rooms never gets easy, and that she has had to build her confidence. Journee works part-time and takes classes at her community college, and she is determined to become a social worker so another young person in foster care has an adult in their corner who truly understands. She is thoughtful, resilient, and brave enough to stand before a crowd and share her story.

Between classes, her part-time job, and the poetry nights she never misses, Journee is almost always on the move, and she does it in shoes never meant to carry her this far. A pair of Tazz Uggs would give her something soft, warm, and comfortable at the end of a long day, plus a little style. The plush lining wraps her feet in comfort, and she's admired the cozy look for a long time. For a young woman who has spent so many years making do, slipping on shoes she picked out for herself is a small, everyday luxury that says she matters.