As a foster mother to children with FASD, Nora Boesem has seen the effects of alcohol first hand. However, FASD often goes undiagnosed and is creating a burden on us all.

Nora Boesem and her husband began fostering in 2011 and have fostered over 100 children for the state of SD and the Oglala Lakota Sioux Tribe. Nora realized there was no help for families and founded Roots to Wings in 2008, a non-profit to help advocate and support people living with FASD. In 2008 she also started a parenting group with the support of BMS in Rapid City, SD that still runs today and has now expanded into a beginners group and an advanced parenting group. In 2009 she was appointed to the Governor’s mental health board, joined the Chiesman Center for FASD and began speaking around the state of SD and around the US. Returning to school she earned her BS in psychology and is currently in her last year of her MSW at Arizona State University. In 2014 Nora joined BMS in a program she spearheads called Facing FASD.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx