Writer, advocate, foster care leader finds the positive in life
Dustin Strout has no family. He has resided in a mental institution, two group homes, five foster homes, several friends' homes and numerous homeless shelters for nearly 20 years, but nowhere within those places did his family reside. "I grew up and raised myself," he said.
Strout's story goes not from rags to riches but from rags to community advocate, and all by age 21. His experience reads like a best-selling novella; one whose current chapter surprisingly tells of college enrollment and community activism.
Earlier this year, Strout submitted an online application to FosterClub, a national network of people in foster care, in hopes of being recognized as a youth leader in his community. In May, he was selected from a large pool of applicants as one of America's Outstanding Young Leaders, an award honoring 100 foster care youths nationwide who have excelled in the areas of community service, education, accomplishment and leadership.