After 8 years of maltreatment within her birth family, followed by 7 years in the foster care system, Liz Hunter didn’t just survive–SHE OVERCAME! She battled through the effects of severe educational, environmental, and emotional neglect and graduated Valedictorian of her high school and summa cum laude of her college. After wondering if she would ever find a family, she finally found a place to call home just before she was grown–at the age of 15!

Liz now writes and speaks professionally about her experiences of growing up in the foster care system and the years of homelessness, addiction, neglect, and abuse she endured while living with her birth family. She provides a uniquely holistic perspective, offering us an intimate look at what it means to be both the child in need of a home and the one who is providing it. She has been the foster child, the adopted child, the foster parent, and the adoptive parent. Her expansive personal experience is balanced against her degree specializations in Psychology/Criminal Justice & Sociology/Social Work.

Liz has dedicated her adult life to serving children in foster care and the heroes who help them. For the past 6 years, she has used her experience and knowledge to educate others about meeting the specialized needs of hurting children. Her audiences include prospective foster & adoptive parents, child welfare professionals, educators, foster care support groups, church goers, and various special interest groups, among others. She has been published in Foster Focus magazine, Social Work Helper and has been featured on the news and radio. Liz is the screenplay writer of “Love is Never Wasted,” the most recent film in the internationally acclaimed ReMoved series.

Liz also serves on the governing board of the Restore Network and the regional advisory board of Children’s Home and Aid. She is the founder of Foster Noise/Adopt Peace–an online forum to elevate the voices of those involved in the foster care system. With this forum, as well as through online and in-person advocacy, she seeks to give a voice to the real life survivors and heroes of the foster care system.

Currently, Liz is in the process of publishing a memoir of her life leading up to her adoption, titled Pieces of You.

Watch Liz’s incredible story (featured by KDSK) by clicking on the picture below…

Testimonials:

“Liz Hunter has a mastery of words that is unmatched. Her ability to convey experience and emotion draws her audience in. Liz has moved every audience I have seen her speak before to tears and has inspired her audiences to step up and get involved in the lives of children and families. I recommend that anyone who has the opportunity to hear her speak should not miss it! She is extraordinary!”

~Keely Giles- DCFS Master PRIDE Trainer

“I don’t think anyone was prepared for the journey Liz was about to take us on. When she was finished speaking there was not a dry eye in the room. Her story is a message of hope, and it’s a story everyone needs to hear.”

~Jenna Battleson-MOPS Organizer

“I was so lucky to be able to listen to Liz tell just a small portion of her life story. She truly is the most amazing person I have ever met. I think I was in tears the entire time she spoke. Listening to Liz speak that day reassured me why I am on this journey. I often think of her words when a situation arises in my own life. She truly is an amazing speaker.”

~Lisa Bizaillion-Foster Parent