JULIE POWELL / BE THANKFUL

"The foster care system has taught me that there is always room for more."

Julie Powell shares #HerStory for #SpeakUp:

"I was in a stable home, and thankfully I never had to move or change homes. I was in foster care for 9 years. My biological family never asked for visits but it was 9 years before I was released for adoption. 9 years is too long. Terminate rights and move on.

The one thing I needed the most when I was emancipating from the foster care system was closure.

My advice to someone in the foster care system now is to be thankful."