Robert Raper was disappointed when he was placed in foster care during his freshman year of high school. Now, because he was a ward of the state when he turned 18, Raper has a chance at a future that nobody in his family has attained.

Raper, 18, is a student at Temple College, and the state of Texas is paying his tuition.

He is part of an aftercare program administered thro-ugh the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services.

The program, called Life Works, is designed to help former foster children transition into adulthood.

“One in six foster kids become homeless after aging out of the foster care system because they aren’t adequately prepared for adulthood,” said Brett Barnes, Life Works director of development and external affairs.

When a person who is a ward of the state turns 18 they become eligible to have the state pay for their education, Barnes said.

If the person earns three hours of college credit before turning 21, the rest of their college education, as long as they are making satisfactory progress at a Texas state school, is paid for, Barnes said.

“I was old enough to know what was going on, so I went with it,” Raper says about being placed into foster care. “But it wasn’t any fun.”

Raper said his mother had a drug problem that became so pronounced the state stepped in and took her children away. He has two sisters and a brother.

During his first year in the foster care system, Raper spent time in three different homes and attended three different Texas high schools.

He learned about Life Works through a caseworker. Raper said he still checks in regularly with caseworkers from the state.

In addition to assistance with tuition he has also received assistance to pay for his books and a bicycle so that he could get to and from school.

The Bell County Child Welfare Board has been a source of financial and moral support.

“I believe that we’ll be able to help him until he’s 21, if he’s still interested,” said Barbara Keetch, of the Bell County Child Welfare Board.

Raper’s goal is to become a computer technician. This semester he is taking three classes including government, music appreciation and math.

Although he bounced around in the foster care system, he now lives with his maternal grandmother in Temple.

“I’ve never been to college, so I’m not familiar with what goes on,” said Raper’s grandmother, Katherine Cronin. “I never thought this opportunity would take place. He would have been just lost in the cesspool.”

promer@temple-telegram.com