We are currently trying to raise funds to bring 5 new kids into the Gargoyle Project - Help us out and donate today!   Eve's Story Eve (not her real name, but our first client) entered the Foster Care System at the age of two. Over the next 10 years she was moved through about 30 different foster and group homes before landing in a level 14 facility. Against the odds she thrived at this facility and after 2 years was placed in a very positive small group home in a distant county. Even though she was doing well with an exceptional foster mother, she was 14 years old and there was no one in her life (save her CASA worker) who knew her 6 months ago. Imagine being a young teenager and having no childhood friends, no schoolmates, no neighbors, no extended family.  How well would you have negotiated puberty if you moved by yourself to a new city every few months? During her stay at the level 14 facility Eve was enrolled in the Somatic Integrity Program offered by Realworld and taught by it’s founder, Angus McIntosh. When she began to feel lonely in her new location she requested that he come see her to continue her training. Angus put together a group of volunteers to visit her. After meeting with her therapist, her social worker, her CASA and her house mother, it became apparent that long term support was what she really needed. Angus and his group of volunteers agreed to stay with her regardless of her situation and location and The Gargoyle Project was born. THE GARGOYLE PROJECT Throughout history Gargoyles have been used to help protect that which is sacred. At Realworld we think people are sacred and deserve support and protection. Children in the Foster Care system can lose any sense of permanence and may have difficulty attaching to other people. As they move through the system their support network cannot go with them. We try to fill in that gap. We can't undo what's happened to these children, but we can do this to help them thrive now. The Gargoyle Project works closely with existing institutions to help provide support and mentoring for these kids especially during difficult transitions.  Each child is assigned a team of 3-4 mentors who commit to see that kid once a month or so until they’re no longer needed. The visit takes no special skill, just spending one day a month with the child and letting them know someone out there cares. We use teams so that every volunteer can take a month or two off if necessary. Realworld also covers the expenses of these visits so the volunteers don't have to. The presence of these mentors might be the one thing that a child needs to thrive. Call us or come to a meeting for more information! Phone: (888) GP-HEROS  or (888) 474-3767 Third Tuesdays of the Month @ 7:00 p.m. Emery Bay Public Market 5959 Shellmound St., Emeryville  (Next to Borders across from the train station)