{"id":45789,"date":"2021-04-06T09:12:59","date_gmt":"2021-04-06T16:12:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/?p=45789"},"modified":"2021-04-06T09:13:08","modified_gmt":"2021-04-06T16:13:08","slug":"employee-story-foster-support","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.salesforce.com\/news\/stories\/employee-story-foster-support\/","title":{"rendered":"They Adopted a Sibling Group of Four. Then, He Developed Technology to Help Others Do the Same."},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Nearly half a million U.S. children are in foster care, and 34,000 of them are in Texas \u2014 a statistic that tore at Salesforce Product Manager Yves Hughes\u2019 heartstrings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With an MBA in Technology Management, Hughes has built a successful career as a product owner and even ran his own web development firm. But, lately, he has become known for another reason: the heart-warming adoption of four siblings, which became official a week before Christmas in 2020.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A decade-long adoption journey<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Hughes and his wife, Khalila, married 10 years, did not have any children prior to the sibling adoption. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen we first got engaged, we discussed kids,\u201d said Hughes. \u201cMy wife has two brothers and a cousin who lived in the same house. She said, ‘Four would be ideal.’ I said, ‘Four is a lot.’\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Later, when the couple moved to Plano, Texas, Hughes attended a Salesforce fundraiser featuring keynote speaker Steve Pemberton. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pemberton talked about growing up in foster care, couch surfing, and being alone on Thanksgiving and Christmas. With guidance, however, Pemberton went on to become a C-level exec at Walgreens, run for the U.S. Senate, and wrote a book that became a motion picture. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe got the waterworks going…the Texas allergies,\u201d Hughes, who has an adopted sister, chuckled. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also inspired him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI thought, we have a house, a pool, we live in a great school district. We are so blessed, we should do something. It takes just one person to change things. This was the tipping point,\u201d said Hughes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A surprising turn of events<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It was at a Home Depot years later when Hughes first received the now-legendary call from Child Protective Services (CPS). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey said, \u2018No pressure, but we’ve got a sibling group of four.’\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the comment, the pressure was on. Time was of the essence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUsually they’re in a very dangerous situation, as with our kids,\u201c Hughes shared. \u201dThere was no electricity, no running water, no food. There was little supervision and there was a house fire.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

CPS tried to find a capable relative to take the children but found none. This landed then 4-year old Zayden, 6-year old Aaliyah, 12-year old Marcus, and 13-year old Nyla in a CPS agency office just before Halloween. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Hughes\u2019 couldn\u2019t imagine the kids spending the holiday in an office building. Together, they decided to take all four into their home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building beyond barriers<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Coming from such a difficult situation, there was an adjustment period for the foursome. The kids had never experienced an environment where adults were dependable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe first thing the kids said when we had dinner together was, \u2018Wait, you guys are Black and you eat dinner at the table together every night?\u2019 I think we expose them to a lot. Meeting all the kids today, you would not know any of them have ever been through anything. It has a lot to do with love and patience, and consistency. We tried to not take any shortcuts.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Today, the children are thriving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe kids are always singing and dancing. That’s their thing,\u201d said Hughes. \u201cWe’ve got a little Partridge family here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finding innovation, inspiration from the foster-to-adopt process<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Arriving at this point was quite a rigorous (and autonomous) journey for Hughes and Khalila, even beyond the expected adjustment of adopting. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The process of becoming a foster parent includes in-person training, at-home inspections, tests, and mounds of paperwork. It was eye-opening for the couple. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI’m in a bunch of foster parent Facebook groups, and one thing that always stood out is people don’t talk about the process. Even mortgage applications show you what you’ve got to do next. That could be unnerving.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Noticing systemic flaws got Hughes thinking that there was an opportunity to change a troubling pattern. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI read that ~70% of applicants \u2014 people who expressed interest in fostering \u2014 never actually followed through. We should help,\u201d he thought.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Improving a cumbersome process \u2014 with a familiar platform<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Foster parents also have to report a lot of information to state agencies on a monthly basis. Their experience with critical record-keeping inspired the lightbulb moment. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy wife and I found ourselves writing notes in our iPhones to keep track of the kids\u2019 activities. I couldn\u2019t believe there was not a simpler way.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So, Hughes and his wife decided to design software to make the process easier. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not long after, Hughes formed a nonprofit organization, which is currently awaiting 501(c)(3) status. His aim is to create a two-fold app and site on the Salesforce platform that will work as a playbook and support network for foster parents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe biggest reason I want to build it on Salesforce is the security of the platform. You have a plethora of data about kids, from every action to medications they’re taking, and you don’t want to compromise that information.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The biggest reason I want to build it on Salesforce is the security of the platform. You have a plethora of data about kids, from every action to medications they’re taking, and you don’t want to compromise that information.<\/p>Yves Hughes, Product Manager, Salesforce<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

In addition to Hughes\u2019 experience as a front-end web developer and product manager, his wife Khalila holds a Masters of Science in Document Design and is currently a User Experience designer at AT&T. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing gets approved without her,\u201d said Hughes. \u201cWe’ve been through various versions with her feedback, that’s what makes us such a good team.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

FosterSupport.org is born <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Built using Salesforce Lightning Web Components (LWC) Open Source and hosted on Heroku, FosterSupport.org is the incredible result developed from one couple\u2019s experience. <\/p>\n\n\n

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