We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Jaime Johnson a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

Hi Jaime, thanks for joining us today. Can you share an anecdote or story from your schooling/training that you feel illustrates what the overall experience was like?

I was in the college of fine arts and also a student athlete. In addition I served in student government and had some other leadership roles on campus. I felt my perspective was unique. There were very few student athletes also in the college of fine arts. I realized that for me it was necessary to come at things from my unique angle. I saw many people try to meet challenges from someone else’s ’normal’ angle and most of them failed or did not feel passion.

I realized that it is important to understand different points of view and different types of motivation because of my unique perspective. It was through the college of education I learned how everyone has a unique learning style and environment in which they will learn best.

A consistent reminder in college taught me acceptance that all perspectives are welcome and important. It shaped my view on humans, how they learn, where they feel most comfortable and also what scares or deters them.

Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.

As a child I took private art lessons in a downtown building of the city I grew up in. I loved seeing an area of town that looked different from the neighborhood I was living in. I started to realize how art felt relaxing and not at all like a daunting task. I was happy and curious about exploring galleries and artists in my city.

Art and soccer are what drew me to college. I wasn’t fully considering attending until I realized I could do it with passion in those two areas and again I felt my perspective was widened.

I have continued to follow my passions and stay involved in jobs that create joy for me. Jobs that bring me a new perspective and don’t make me feel boxed in have helped me to grow.

I currently work for the non profit Foster Love 402. I provide therapeutic art classes for our clients. Our client base are children and families who are impacted by foster care. In addition we provide outreach to a local juvenile justice center by teaching art classes to the inmates.

In the evenings I also coach a girls soccer team. I have realized through coaching and teaching that I strive to provide peace and clarity for youth in my community.

I want every child to feel the safety and curiosity I did when I tried something new and walked into that downtown art studio. It was something out of my comfort zone but it felt safe, peaceful, worthwhile, and therapeutic when I was there. These are the things I believe youth need in order to take risks and discover their potential.

Have you ever had to pivot?

I had a giant pivot quickly after I graduated college. I was 4 years into teaching at a public middle school. The students were lower socioeconomic and had language barriers. I loved the school but in my personal life I was struggling. I had one child and suffered two miscarriages in a row trying to get pregnant with my second child. I decided to take a leave of absence from teaching and ended up resigning eventually. I went on to have 4 beautiful daughters and 2 more miscarriages over the next 5 years. It was difficult and personal. I lost the path I thought I would be on professionally through that process.

I stayed involved with youth programs by coaching soccer and offering private or small group lessons. I’ve tried very hard to trust the process and be patient with my life. It was difficult to see all my friends and colleagues climb a professional ladder while I stayed home with my children.

This part of my life takes me back to my original thoughts on how we all have unique perspectives. It’s very difficult not to compare ourselves to others. But ultimately I knew I was looking for that safe, creative space I had discovered as a child.

Amber, my college soccer teammate used time covid provided to build her non profit Foster Love. She shared her thoughts and dreams with me. It was exactly what I was looking for. It is a place where all perspectives are welcomed, nurtured, celebrated, and empowered. Not only do we help children but the adults in their lives as well.

Had I not had to pivot early in my teaching career I would be impacting the children I am now. These children are extremely vulnerable desperately need someone to see and validate them. It is my absolute pleasure to be able to help do that for them.

Training and knowledge matter of course, but beyond that what do you think matters most in terms of succeeding in your field?

I think my field focuses so much on volunteerism. Not for profits are thankless jobs. We rely heavily on a dedicated group of volunteers who show up for us consistently.

I have learned that to truly be a volunteer and to get the most out of it you have to be willing and able to not make it about yourself. You cannot do the job for praise, recognition, reward, or attention. That seems obvious but it is very hard for most of us to grasp. We live in a world that values money and power. Children in the foster care system rarely have either of these things. My challenge is to make sure they feel just as much worth and value as anyone else in the world. How can I motivate them to be brave and vulnerable but also strong and independent? How can I use art and pizza and a couple new articles of clothing to empower someone to see their worth?

Volunteering is hard work, it’s sad and at times you feel like you’re taking steps backwards when children do not respond to the energy you give them.

In order to keep pushing forward and offering our services our volunteers focus on supporting each other. Amber fosters love not only with our clients but also with our volunteers. We are very strong, very smart, mainly females, and we support each other through it all. We appreciate the people around us and strive to reveal the impact they have. We offer grace for family emergencies, sickness, personal struggles, or anything else that comes up. We are a people first group. People over profit. People over power. Our vision is pure and we strive to bring that passion to all the clients we service.

Contact Info:

• Website: Fosterlove402.org
• Instagram: Fosterlove402ne
• Facebook: Foster Love Inc