As a homeless child, a single birthday gift—a crumpled dollar bill—had a profound effect on my life. My foster parents, Steve and Linda, who cared for me and eight other Black foster children, always made me feel valued. Steve would often tell me, “Dylan, you’re just as good as anyone else.”

On my fifth birthday, after being taken from my biological parents, Steve gave me a dollar bill with a special note: “There’s a special message for you written on this bill. Never lose it.” Two years later, my biological parents abandoned me in a park.

At seven, alone and determined, I vowed, “No more orphanages. You’re going to make it on your own.” Living on the streets, I learned to read and write from a homeless man named Jacob, who encouraged me, “Dylan, you’ve got to learn this. It’s your way out of here.”

Years later, I rediscovered the dollar bill and read Steve’s message: “You are my son and always will be… With it, you will succeed, but you have to believe in yourself!” This renewed my determination. With the guidance of Mr. Brown, who gave me a job and mentorship, I achieved success and returned to show Steve the dollar bill. He smiled and said, “Maybe it’s not the dollar but you?” Through resilience and belief, I made it.