Why I am running the British 10K for St Christopher's?

Jessica Levoir is taking on the challenge of running the British 10K to raise funds for St Christopher’s. As a daughter of one of our foster carers she has seen first-hand the positive impact fostering can have on a young person.

My family have been fostering for coming up to five years now. It's been long enough (I have an awful memory) for me to forget when or how my mum asked my sister and I what we thought about her fostering. However what really worried me as I thought about writing this post was how I can't even picture the conversation we would have had.

I'm finding it difficult to remember or even imagine what the family dynamic was pre-2009 and although I have a poor track record remembering almost everything before the age of 14 this sort of more recent amnesia is less common for me.

After giving up ever recalling what it felt like to only have my sister, mum or nan in the house I quickly realised it's become almost impossible for me to imagine our family not fostering.

I can't imagine, and frankly would hate to imagine, the thought of the little girl (really not so little anymore) that we have fostered for four and a half of those five years not sat at the dinner table with us, not loudly singing along to the latest musical soundtrack (it's Frozen at the moment), or not needing to move a relic of hers out the way before being able to sit down to have that conversation.

It is for this reason that I have chosen to run in the London 10km in July and raise as much as I can for St Christopher's. Without this charity we would never have had such a life-changing experience. And it really has been that life-changing, not just for us but most importantly of all, for the children the charity helps to rebuild their lives. It's these kids that need it and deserve it.

So, if you fancy donating towards such a great cause (and want to help make those kilometres go by that much easier) please donate. Thank you!

Foster Care Fortnight runs until May 25. This year the theme is “Guess Who Fosters.” Jessica may not be approved foster carer for her family, but she plays a vital role in team around the foster child. What questions would you ask the daughter of a foster carer?