Category:Articles

Meet Daily Point of Light Award honoree Ashley Rhodes-Courter. Read her story and nominate an outstanding volunteer, family or organization as a Point of Light.

“You just say yes and you figure it out!” That’s the mantra that has led 30-year-oldAshley Rhodes-Courter throughout her life as a college graduate, fundraiser, best-selling author and now the leader of her own nonprofit organization, the Foundation for Sustainable Families.

Ashley and her husband Erick Smith started the foundation in 2013. It focuses on a broad range of services to help educate and rehabilitate families in areas such as nutrition, breastfeeding, adoption services, mental health and more. The goal is to provide preventative care and expertise to stabilize struggling families before things get too bad. Continue reading

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STARKVILLE, Miss.—International best-selling author Ashley Rhodes-Courter encouraged Mississippi State students attending Fall Convocation to step out of their comfort zones and translate what they learn in the classroom into powerful and productive actions. Students can show themselves and others what they are truly made of in the process, she said.

Rhodes-Courter was the keynote speaker Tuesday [Aug. 16] as an estimated 3,700 first-year freshmen and 1,800 transfer students gathered for MSU’s third Fall Convocation in Humphrey Coliseum. Continue reading

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STARKVILLE, Miss.— The inspirational story of a woman overcoming her troublesome early years in foster care is Mississippi State’s 2016 Maroon Edition book selection.

Published in 2008 by Simon and Schuster, international bestselling author Ashley Rhodes-Courter’s “Three Little Words: A Memoir” grew out of her award-winning essay that was published in 2003 by New York Times Magazine. Continue reading

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In what they described as “one of the most magical experiences,” a Texas family posted a video on social media of their three daughters seeing their new baby brother for the first time. Captions accompanying the viral announcement included: “Sisters find newly-adopted baby brother under the tree,” “Parents hide new son under the Christmas tree for daughters,” and “Sisters’ adoption surprise!”

The children and family seem thrilled, but as an adult adoptee, adoptive mother, and social worker, I cringed and wished this family had been given better counsel. Not wanting to be hasty or “overly sensitive,” I asked professional peers and child advocates for their opinion. Most agreed that this video sends a variety of disturbing message to those not familiar with the intricacies of adoption. It was also the general consensus that surprising family members with a human being is not advised under any circumstance. Continue reading

When it comes to childhood holiday traditions, people often think of hanging ornaments on the Christmas tree, lighting the menorah, or listening to seasonal tunes. But for some 415,000 kids living in our foster care system, the holidays in group homes aren’t always filled with merriment. Continue reading