Join us in welcoming Roger Saillant as he discusses and signs copies of The Power of Being Seen, a book set in Bucks County, PA which illustrates the struggles and triumphs that Roger experienced as a child in the foster care system, Saturday, May 6th, at 1:00 PM. The author will donate proceeds from each book sale to CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates). Learn more about that organization HERE.
Bethany Christian Services will be on hand to answer questions and provide information during this event.
At Bethany Christian Services, we believe everyone deserves to be safe, loved, and connected. When a child is removed from their home, it can be a vulnerable time for them. When you become a foster parent, you give a child a loving home and the stability they need until they can be reunified with their family. Bethany Christian Services can help you be the answer for a child in need. You provide a loving home, and we'll provide the support you need.
Learn more about: National Foster Care Month | Bethany
About the Book:
We all have a need to be seen. There are significant differences in developmental outcomes between children who are seen and those who are unseen.
Statistics paint an ugly picture for the fate of foster children: about 40-50 percent of "aged-out" children become homeless within 18 months; almost 50 percent of prison inmates have been in foster homes; and foster children suffer six times the rate of PTSD found in the general population.
Author Roger Saillant was a product of the foster care system in the 1950s. In this poignant memoir, he describes his journey with no shortage of emotional baggage, constantly doubting himself and wondering why he is being moved from place to place. Why doesn't anybody want him? Did he do something wrong? What's the matter with him? He lives life on a farm where the only thing that matters to his foster father is whether his work gets done - with no regard for the typical nurturing and experiences of a growing child.
In The Power of Being Seen, Roger Saillant describes acutely his feelings of abandonment, helplessness, anger, resentment, and hopelessness to the point of contemplating suicide, but the values instilled by many caring adults make this a story of optimism, vision, creativity, courage, sensitivity, and, most of all, inspiration.
About the Author:
Roger Saillant was formerly an Adjunct Professor and the Executive Director of the Fowler Center for Business as an Agent of World Benefit, Weatherhead School of Management, Case Western Reserve University. Prior to that appointment, he was an adjunct professor at Marlboro College where he taught systems thinking. He was the CEO of Plug Power, a publicly traded fuel cell company, for seven years; while there he helped to raise over $500 million dollars from private investors and led three acquisitions. Dr. Saillant was recognized as a leader in fuel cells at the state, national, and international levels, being accorded the inaugural lifetime achievement award by the United States Fuel Cell Council. Prior to Plug Power, he served 30 years at The Ford Motor Company and Visteon Corporation, a spinoff of Ford.
He began his career as a research scientist and rose to various management positions including but not limited to plant manager, Vice President and General Manager of the Energy Transformation Division, Vice President and General Manager of the Plastics Division, and General Manager of the Electronics and Fuel Handling Division. In these positions he was responsible
for global profit and losses, acquisitions, manufacturing, and sales and service operations. The divisions ranged in size from $3.5 – 5.5 billion in sales and employed up to 11,000 people in 19 countries. He was noted for his ability to turn operations around and improve profits and morale.
He earned his AB degree from Bowdoin College, a PhD from Indiana University in inorganic chemistry, a post doctorate at UCLA in organometallic chemistry, and an honorary Doctor of Science degree from SUNY Cobleskill. He has co-authored and authored over 25 papers in refereed journals and three books: a nonfiction book Flourishing Enterprise – The New Spirit of Business, an environmental thriller entitled Vapor Trails, and most recently a memoir covering his years in foster care - The Power of Being Seen.
Roger Saillant lives in Saratoga Springs, New York where he oversees private business interests, writes, raises wildflowers, and enjoys life with his wife, Mary Lou Pinckney.
