About Gino VanGundy

I was born in Santa Rosa, California on July 1, 1970.  My mother was a bartender and a high school dropout. My father was a United States Marine who served in Vietnam.  Their courtship was fast and intense, and their marriage tumultuous.  After roughly a year and a half, their marriage was about to completely fall apart, which is when my mother became pregnant with me.  Six months after I was born my father left for good.

 

When I was about four or five years old, the State of California removed me from my mother’s care and placed me in the foster care system.   I spent the next 14 years of my life in a series of foster homes, group homes, and institutions.  I lost count somewhere around 25.

 

My transition to adulthood was not an easy one.  I stumbled and struggled and made some big mistakes.  Most of us have parents to show us how the world works.  I was not so fortunate.  My 20’s were difficult, at best, and there were times that I did not believe that I would live to see the age of 30.

 

I am happy to say that I made it to the age of 30 and for me; this is when I feel that my life began to truly take shape.  I spent the last few years of my 20’s focusing on defeating the demons of my childhood.  I built a strong and loving support group and reconnected with my biological family.  It was that support group that gave me the strength to battle the things I had always feared.

 

I met Chris in the early summer of 2003 and we began dating.  Our bond was unmistakable and I knew he was the one I had been waiting for but never thought I would find.  Even though he had a relatively normal childhood, he understood me in a way that most people never could.  Through Chris, I learned that I could have the life that I had never dared dream of.  He is my rock.  He keeps me anchored and, without even knowing it, he reminds me everyday how lucky I am. 

 

From the beginning of our courtship we knew building a family was important to us. We both wanted to be parents.  Chris knew very little about the foster care system but he knew it was a big part of who I was.  When I suggested that we look into adopting a child from the foster care system Chris agreed to attend an information meeting.  After the meeting we went to dinner.  During dinner he told me that he felt that we should move forward.  “If we can make a difference in the life of even one child, I think that would be just great!”   Soon after the information meeting we began the training that would make us legal foster parents.  Next came a home study, and then we began to prepare ourselves for the day our toddler would arrive.  Fate had another plan for us.

 

I got the call from our agency before Chris did, and they left a message on my cell phone.  The message we received was not the message we were expecting.  The agency asked us how open we might be to the possibility of adopting a 15-year-old girl.  I immediately called back and asked more questions.  The social worker offered to email me some pictures.  Ten minutes later I was sitting in front of my computer at work with tears rolling down my face.  At the time I didn’t want to admit it but instinctively I knew this was meant to be.  I saw myself in her eyes.

 

Naturally, Chris and I tried to resist—in our opinion, two thirty-something men would not make the ideal couple for a teenage girl to have as parents.  After many long conversations it came down to one question:  If our motivation for wanting to adopt from the foster care system truly was to help a child in need; does the age of the child really matter?  The obvious answer was “no” and we called the agency and began the journey that changed our lives.

 

We first met Antigone at a Chevy’s in Berkeley, California.  Our first meeting was awkward and for me somewhat surreal.  I had been in her position more times than I could remember so I was able to understand things from her perspective.  Chris and I made up our minds after the first meeting but the final decision was hers to make.  Six weeks later Antigone moved into our home.  Six months after that we legally adopted her.  We are now in the process of completing the steps necessary to adopt a toddler.  My life has now come full-circle.  To say that Antigone has been one of the greatest gifts of our lives would be an understatement.

 

I am an average, everyday American with deep passions and I’m a survivor with strong beliefs.  As the product of an inadequate, underfunded, and often overlooked system (foster care), I am intensely devoted to making a difference in the lives of the children that are currently struggling to make it to adulthood.  Family is the cornerstone of my values and I believe that a loving, stable, and safe home is all that a child needs to thrive. As a parent, my number one concern is that I leave a better, more stable America for my daughter.

 

My frustration with the status quo and my belief in the American people have made me decide to step out and speak up. I have not run for public office before but I believe that my message is one with which most Californian's – especially those in Fairfield – can identify. I will be running a grassroots campaign, using the outstanding example President Obama set with his campaign. My experience as a foster child taught me many things about different ways of living and thinking. As a child I was so poor that I had to live in a car. My travels through foster care took me through many socioeconomic situations. From group homes to institutions to well-off foster parents, I have experienced it all. I know firsthand how quickly life can change. I believe that through listening and trying to understand what may seem not to make sense, I can see all sides of an issue. The diversity of my background gives me a unique perspective that will allow me to represent the people of Fairfield on the City Council with distinction.

A Family Man: