For Immediate Release:
Former Foster Child Wants to Shed Light on the Secret Life of Foster Care
May is National Foster Care Month – 20 Years of Caring
Tampa, Florida (Angels For Foster Kids, Inc ) May 6, 2008 – Entrepreneur and author, Margaret Iuculano wants to help raise public awareness of America’s foster care story; there are more than a million children living in foster care today. In 1988, Senator Strom Thurmond introduced a resolution proclaiming May as National Foster Care Month.
Many foster children are in their teens and are often neglected and abused. Occasionally they are lucky to be adopted by loving families - but others are less fortunate.
Iuculano should know. She spent six years in foster care and was shuffled in and out of 15 foster care homes. At the age of 17, she was handed a plastic garbage packed with her belongings and sent out into the world to make it on her own. Yet, she’s the first to admit that she is one of the lucky ones.
Today Iuculano is happily married and a loving mother. She went on to serve as the president and chief executive officer of a multimillion-dollar Microsoft consulting company. She is now focused on the mission of shedding light on the secret lives of foster children and to motivate through her newly published memoir, “My God Box.”
A portion of her book sales will be donated to Angels for Foster Kids, a non-profit foundation Iuculano founded, “to provide educational tools, scholarships and new shelters for foster children,” says Iuculano.
Every year, more than 20,000 older kids "age out" of foster care and are forced to face life’s challenges alone. Statistics show that alumni of foster care are more likely than their peers to endure homelessness, poverty, unemployment, and other adversities after they leave the system. “It’s important that we recognize they will be the next generation of leaders and they should be nurtured and provided with the same opportunities as other children,” Iuculano says. [Electronic press kit and producer pitch.] ABOUT MARGARET IUCULANO’S “MY GOD BOX”
It was Iuculano’s strong faith in God that helped her through the devastating and challenging times as a foster child. She is currently working on a prototype “God Box” as a symbol of faith and a special place to put hand written prayers. “Writing down your prayers and placing them in your own “God Box” will help reinforce your relationship with God.” Every foster child who receives a scholarship will also receive their own “God Box,” which she believes is as important as financial funding.
ABOUT MARGARET IUCULANO
Margaret Iuculano is a wife, mother, author, successful entrepreneur and child rights activist. She grew up in San Diego and worked for 15 years in the software consulting industry before purchasing her own software training and consulting company. Margaret served as CEO for 6 years before selling the company. She has been involved in several other entrepreneurial adventures, including designing and opening a wine bar and redeveloping a historic building. Iuculano’s first novel, “My God Box” reveals her own story as a foster child. She lives in Tampa, Florida, where she is actively involved in creating awareness about the issues facing foster children in the US. She hopes to build a group home that provides a safe, secure environment for the aging out of foster care children, so that they can become respected and successful adults.
Iuculano has been a guest on dozens of radio and TV programs locally and nationally. She is scheduled to appear on “Living the Life” on the Christian Broadcasting Network on May 8th, 2008.
Press Contact:
Margaret Iuculano, Founder & President
888.299.9919
Angels For Foster Kids
www.MargaretIuculano.com