Dione Mason is an unusual young man who turned difficult early life circumstances into a life of giving back while still in his mid-20s. Dione, from Oakland, California, was a foster child through Seneca Family of Agencies for more than six years starting as a pre-teen.
Fortunately, Dione had a terrific foster care support system during these early years; an amazing foster mother and Seneca social worker who were there to help him through a multitude of challenges. Seneca’s foster care program provided Unconditional Care and strong encouragement, which are at the heart of the organization’s many programs. Fast-forward to today and Dione is in his mid-20s and a happy, healthy school teacher, basketball coach and foster parent to a 15-year-old young man who is in the very same Seneca foster care program that gave Dione so much support. Dione wanted to become a foster parent as soon as he could, at age 25.
Dione’s foster son is a 15-year-old boy and Dione can relate to him and talk to him, because it wasn’t all that long ago that Dione was dealing with the same issues and emotions.
According to the Children’s Law Center, 46 percent of foster children don’t finish high school, and 30 percent of foster kids end up homeless as adults. Dione hopes that by being a good influence with his unusual experience in his foster son’s shoes, he’ll be able to help keep the young man on the right path.
Dione is planning to get married next year and would like to be a police officer. For more about Dione’s story please reach out to Phillip Bergman.
Today's Honoree is The #1 Blog For Recognizing The Works of Others 