Foster Family
Jake and Jeff pictured with their foster mom Barb Bocklage.
Their incredible story of survival sounds like something from a movie. Jake and Jeff, fraternal twins from St. Louis, were taken by their abusive father to the Dominican Republic to work in his garbage recycling business. He forced them to work night and day in an unventilated 110-degree room with vermin coming out of the trash. Unschooled and malnourished and after many months in an orphanage, they escaped to the American Embassy. Eventually, they were flown back to St. Louis and placed in the Angels’ Arms home in South County with 4 other foster siblings and their foster mom Barb.
On Monday, May 11, they were honored at the HateBreakers 3rd Annual HERO Awards for their heroism and moral courage to transcend acts of hate and become leaders and healers. Today, Jake and Jeff are sophomores in high school, enrolled in the College Bound Program and have a bright future ahead of them. We couldn’t be more proud of how far they’ve come.
To learn more about HateBreakers, click HERE