FSS Staff Spotlight: Mahryah White

For Nassau County resident Mahryah White, everything has come down to timing.

When she was still working as a massage therapist in 2019 and thinking about fostering, she encountered two foster parents, a Guardian ad Litem and a case manager as clients all in the same day. She still might have been able to look past the day – until Mahryah got into her car after work and an ad for Family Support Services’ foster care information classes came on the radio.

“I said ‘OK Lord, I got the message!’ ” Mahryah says.

Mahryah began her PRIDE Training with FSS in 2020 and received her first foster placement in the height of the pandemic, working extra hard to find creative ways to maintain communication between the children in her care and their biological families until reunification.

Mahryah felt so strongly about her experience as a foster parent with FSS that in Fall 2022, when she was looking to embark on a new career, she found an opening with Family Support Services team as a Placement and Behavioral Health Support Coordinator. How she serves children and families may look a little different these days, but Mahryah is still passionate about supporting kids in care (and their parents!) Keep an eye out for Mahryah in Nassau County – if you bump into her in public, you’re likely to get your own personal foster care info session!

What made you want to be a foster parent?
“I always had a soft spot for children. I’m a helper, I do animal rescue as well – but I wanted to do MORE. I have one biological daughter but don’t foresee birthing any more children, but want to love on children, so why not? They really need that safe space. I wanted to wait a little to make sure my daughter was mentally ready to understand and deal with the process as well. (She was 10 when the process started) – but she loves it! She would say yes to every phone call I get if she could. When I first got licensed we did respite care just to get our feet wet and I think that’s a good starting place for people … You love your foster kids but you need a break every once in a while and that resource is available, so why not utilize it?”

What made you want to work at Family Support Services?
“I wanted to work at FSS because of the values this company puts at the top of the company. I truly believe that FSS genuinely wants the best for all of our children and will do whatever they can to make it happen for them. I found out about the position I am in now when I was looking to get out of massage therapy and into a new career.”

Are you still a foster parent? Do you think you will continue to be a foster parent for a long time, or what made you take a break?
“I am now a non-relative caregiver and in the process of becoming level 1 licensed for my daughter’s half-brother. I took a break from traditional foster care but love still supporting all of our Nassau [County] foster parents when I can.”

How does FSS support you as a foster parent and support other foster families in the community?
“FSS supports our foster families in any way they can. I have seen staff from FSS go above and beyond to help our families, whether it was transporting a bed, transporting children or using their own money to purchase items a new removal may need.”

Is there anything about foster care or adoption that you see or understand differently now that you work here versus when you were licensed outside of the agency?
“I think now I see what all goes into the work of those who are in child welfare and the countless hours everyone puts in to ensure the well-being of the children in care. The people I have encountered at FSS truly want what is best for these children and cry and celebrate each battle and victory.”

How do you educate others about fostering or adoption?
“I always try to recruit foster parents anywhere I go! I will discuss foster care/adoption with anyone at any time. I always offer my number to those who are new to this journey and make it my mission to help educate people the best I can on how rewarding this journey is.”

What’s a memory from this journey that you’ll always treasure?
“The thing I will always treasure the most is the bonds/relationships I have formed not only with the children who were in my care, but their families as well. It’s so nice to know that I had a very small part in helping a family at their darkest times.”

What’s one thing you would want people to know about children in care/being a foster parent?
“I tell people this all the time – it’s very hard but it’s worth it. All the potential headache and heartache is a million times worth knowing that you’ve shown a child love and what a healthy family and love should look like, and that’s for their family as well … If you can build a relationship with family members, you definitely should. … The first conversation I had with my first placement’s mom was, ‘I don’t want to adopt your children, I want you to succeed, and I’m just going to keep loving on your boys the way you would.’ [Biological parents] need to feel support, they need to feel love as well.”

What’s the best advice you’ve received about parenting?
“This is a hard question. The best advice I think I was given is that every child is different and every child will need to be parented differently. Parenting is not a ‘one size fits all’ job. It’s trial and error. And to take every victory you can and celebrate it. Parenting is a marathon and not a sprint.”

Click here to learn more about becoming a foster parent with FSS.

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