The Heart of the Heroes Band

Guest post by Adrienne Drew, Eckerd Kids External Relations Manager

The Heart of the Heroes is made up of Christian youths who were either former foster children that have now been adopted or biological children of two different foster families, the Mitchell’s and the Thurman’s.

The band and their parents share a passion for youth in foster care and started their ministry to recruit foster families and raise awareness about foster care.  Over the past year, they have been performing at local churches and conferences across Florida.

The first large conference the band played at was a Faith Based luncheon in February 2015. Following that, they also played another conference in Orlando and at Eckerd Kids’ signature fundraising event in December of 2015, the Jingle Jangle Jam.

Once the band took off and they started making more and more appearances, all of the children really started getting serious.  By December, after a few months of lessons, they were all playing their own instruments!

The band now has seven total songs they play together and play at local churches occasionally to raise foster care awareness.  They work hard, practicing every day to continue to get better and better! They have also recently added a drama team to enhance their performances.

The Mitchell’s and the Thurman’s are very close and have continued to grow closer since the band practices weekly.  However, when the group is not busy with practice, the teens enjoy other activities like singing, writing and dancing.  They also stay very active in their church.

The Mitchell’s have fostered more than 100 children and have adopted four, and the Thurman’s have fostered more than 45 children and adopted four as well.  Both families really wanted to make a difference and help other children and families.

The families love watching the children play together, and feel that God has equipped them with the skills needed to do so.  All of the children started off as singers, but learning to play instruments was something new for them all.

When I asked the band members what advice they would give to other foster children who need hope I received a variety of inspiring answers.

Carissa, 16 year old vocalist and guitar player said, “It will get better and they will have people that love them no matter where they came from.”

Bethany, 13 year old keyboard player said, “It will get better because you’re not the only one going through the problems you are having.”

Syaira, 16 year old vocalist and guitar player said, “Stay strong and call on the Lord in your time of need.”

Ashanti, 16 year old vocalist and guitar player said, “Your past does not define who you will become.  You can choose to have a better future.”

If you ask any of the children how they got to where they are today, they will all tell you they give all their glory to God.

To learn more about the Heart of the Heroes Band click here to visit their website or you can visit them on Facebook at:  https://www.facebook.com/heartoftheheroes