National Foster Care Month: Local Survivor Shares Message of Hope for Current Foster Youth
May is National Foster Care Month—a time to recognize the
more than 390,000 children currently in foster care across the United States.
For Tina Strambler, it's also a time to reflect on her own journey through the
system and offer a message of hope to those still navigating it.
Strambler spent 13 years at High Sky Children's Ranch in
Midland after being removed from an abusive home at age five. Now, in her newly
released memoir Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love, she shares her
story—and a message for every foster child who feels forgotten.
"You may feel lost. You may feel alone. You may feel
like you don't belong anywhere," Strambler writes. "But I promise you
this: There is a place for you in this world. There is a future for you. There
is a life waiting for you that is bigger than your pain."
A Childhood in the
System
Strambler's journey through foster care began when a teacher
noticed bruises on her sister and made the call that would change everything.
Child Protective Services removed Strambler and her two siblings from their
aunt and uncle's home in Midland, where they had endured years of physical and
emotional abuse.
In the 1980s, keeping siblings together wasn't always a
priority. Strambler and her sister were placed at High Sky Girls Ranch. Her
brother was sent to a boys' home in Amarillo, beginning years of separation.
"I remember watching him leave," Strambler recalls
in her memoir. "He tried to be brave, tried not to cry, but the fear in
his eyes said everything. We promised we wouldn't forget each other."
Finding Home at High
Sky
For the next 13 years, High Sky became more than a place
Strambler lived—it became home. The ranch's cottage system, structured
routines, and dedicated staff provided something she had never experienced:
safety.
"People on the outside don't always understand what it
means to live in a children's home for that long," Strambler explains.
"They imagine cold halls, kids drifting in and out with no real
connections. But High Sky wasn't like that. It wasn't perfect, but it was
real."
Over those years, Strambler had numerous foster
sisters—girls from different backgrounds, carrying different hurts. Some stayed
months, some stayed years. Each left an imprint.
"When you've already lost so much, you cling fiercely
to what you have," she writes. "The fights we had weren't signs of
hatred—they were proof of closeness. The kinds of fights normal siblings
have."
The People Who Made
the Difference
What made High Sky feel like home wasn't the buildings or
the routines—it was the people. The cottage parents who tucked her in at night.
The counselors who helped her process trauma. The teachers who treated her like
every other student. The board members and volunteers who showed up year after
year.
"I was raised by a village," Strambler says.
"A community of adults who stepped in where life had left gaps. They
didn't have to love me. I wasn't their child. But they chose to care for me
anyway."
A Message for Current
Foster Youth
As National Foster Care Month highlights the experiences of
children in the system, Strambler wants those still in care to hear this:
"You will build your own family, the kind you deserve.
You will rewrite the story. You will prove that the system did not define you.
You are stronger than you realize. You are braver than you give yourself credit
for. And you are loved more than you know—even if you haven't met the people
who will love you yet."
She knows the statistics. She knows how many children age
out of the system and struggle. But she also knows that statistics don't define
individuals.
"Your story isn't over. It's just beginning."
From Foster Child to
Grandmother
Strambler's own story is proof of that. After graduating
from high school—the same night she met her future husband, Roderick—she went
on to build the life she once dreamed of. They've been married nearly 30 years,
raised three sons, and are now grandparents of four.
"I didn't get to grow up in a healthy home. I didn't
get to keep my siblings close. I didn't get a picture-perfect beginning,"
she reflects. "But I got something even more powerful: I got to create the
family I always dreamed of."
Breaking Cycles
For foster children who worry about repeating the patterns
they grew up with, Strambler offers hope: cycles can be broken.
"I became the mother I wished I had. The protector I
prayed for as a child. The safe place I needed growing up. No generational
curse, no trauma, no past mistake was going to touch my babies."
Today, watching her grandchildren experience the love and
stability she created, Strambler feels the full weight of the healing God has
done in her life.
A Call to Action
During National Foster Care Month, Strambler hopes others
will be inspired to get involved—whether by fostering, volunteering, mentoring,
or simply paying attention to the children around them.
"You never know whose life you might change just by
showing up," she says. "A teacher noticed my sister's bruises and
made a call that saved our lives. A friend's mother packed an extra sack lunch
that made me feel seen. Small kindnesses matter. They matter more than you
know."
A Message That Keeps
Giving
Strambler wrote her memoir, she says, not because her life
was easy, but because it was hard—and she survived. She hopes it offers comfort
to anyone still in the darkness.
"You can come from the darkest places and still build a
beautiful life. You can be hurt and still be whole. You can be broken and still
be chosen. You can be afraid and still be brave. You can be a survivor and
still write your own happy ending."
About the Author
Tina Strambler lives in Midland, Texas, with her husband
Roderick. She has worked in the oil and gas industry for 15 years and is a
proud grandmother of four. Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love is
her first book.
Availability
Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love is available now
in paperback, hardcover, and eBook. For media inquiries, speaking engagement
requests, or interview opportunities during National Foster Care Month, please
contact
Contact:
Authur: Tina Strambler
Wesbite: https://tinastrambler.com/
Amazon: Raised by Strangers, Rebuilt by Love: How Foster Care Saved My Life and Shaped My Purpose
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