ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A woman who founded a non-profit in St. Pete is one of ten women chosen from around the country to be part of this year’s L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth Class.
Now, Ashley Rhodes-Courter needs people from the community to vote for her so she can be this year's National Honoree and receive thousands more dollars for her non-profit.
Rhodes-Courter founded the Foundation for Sustainable Families because of her experience growing up in the foster care system. She said she spent nearly ten years in foster care in 14 different homes and it was a “fairly unpleasant experience.” Everything Rhodes-Courter went through inspired her to become a licensed clinical social worker and create the organization.
“I saw as a child firsthand what the needs were and there are so many ways for community members to take action and take notice of youth and families who are struggling right here in our own backyards. The foundation for sustainable families is an umbrella organization that helps connect families to much needed resources in the community,” said Rhodes-Courter.
The Foundation for Sustainable Families helps connect families in need with resources in the community. It focuses on education, wellness, and mental health and has helped hundreds of families since Rhodes-Courter started it.
In addition to founding a non-profit organization, Rhodes-Courter is a New York Times Bestselling Author. She has written three non-fiction books and one is a children’s book about transgender youth. Rhodes-Courter based her books off her own experiences. Not only did she grow up in the foster care system, but she and her husband also cared for more than 20 foster children and adopted one of them.
“So I wrote the book 'Sam is My Sister' as a way to help people understand what our family experienced when our child came out. It’s a really beautiful story about my three kids and how they came to understand what it meant to have a sibling who is trans and also just show that these kids are just as deserving as anyone of love and support. It’s a complicated topic but loving someone unconditionally – that’s not complicated and that’s not hard,” said Rhodes-Courter.
To read more about the L’Oréal Paris Women of Worth and vote for Ashley Rhodes-Courterclick here.
