“Never judge a book by its cover.” “Good things come in small packages.” “It’s not the size of the dog in the fight but the size of the fight in the
dog.” There’s a reason clichés exist; because they are generally based on truth. Pick any of these old adages to explain the anomaly that is
Cassidy Mack.
On the surface the tiny fifteen year old doesn’t seem that different from any other teen girl you may know. Dig a little deeper, you’ll find a young
lady with complexities of the television and movie scripts she memorizes. Just below the long hair, quirky style and endearing smile lies years of
uncertainty. Buried behind the bubbly personality lies a strength not exhibited by people twice her age.
All-American girl? Sure, but there’s much more to the story. How did a girl without a family to call her own find her way to the silver screens of
Hollywood? It starts in the Lone star state.
Cassidy Mack was born in Texas to a mother who was incapable of caring for children. Shortly after her birth, Cassidy was placed in foster care
with her older sister who, when Cassidy turned 5, was sent to live with her biological father, a situation that wasn’t applicable to the younger sibling.
Cassidy found herself completely alone.
Her stay in care wasn’t an easy one to say the least. Medicated and confined to the foster home, the five year old longed for an activity, a birthday
acknowledgement but most of all she wanted a family. As time passed in care she became overactive, mistrusting and a tough kid to deal with.
Isolation is enough to make a kid of any age react with resentment, for a five year old there is an extra sting to it all. These are the formative years,
the years where you learn to trust, to socialize; Cassidy was being barred from those lessons. Time would continue to pass, Cassidy would
continue to wait. Little did she know that the wait wouldn’t be too long.
Elsewhere, sitting in front of her computer staring at faces of adoptable youth, a young mother named Jen, along with her husband Mike, looked to
add to their already growing family.
After nearly a decade of marriage, Mike and Jen hoped that through adoption they could give a home to some children in need while fulfilling Jen’s
lifelong hope of being an adoptive Mom. With the support of Mike and their two daughters, Kelsey and Mia, 7 and 5, when their first sister named
Alyssa joined the family, they set out to find a fourth child to even things out.
“We’d go to Disneyland as a family and someone was always left out,” Jen recalls, “We thought one more little girl could use a home, no one would
be left out again.”
But it would have to be the right fit. Jen thinks back on the time of the decision, saying, “Kelsey was 14, Mia was 12 and Alyssa was 10 at the time
we decided to sit down for a family meeting to discuss another adoption. We are a big, loud, energetic family, the child that would join our family
would need to keep up.”
With that the family set out on their quest with over twenty thousand kids per year waiting to be adopted their choices were bountiful. As they
surveyed the children available they came across a dark haired girl with what Jen describes as a “bit of a mischievous smile”. They fell in love
instantly.
After several visits they found the connection was real and even before a decision was made they knew they were destined to be a family. When
they asked Cassidy if she would like to be a part of their family her response was “Let’s get outta here!” The spunky firecracker with an extremely
strong Texas accent gelled perfectly with the rest of the crew. Cassidy finally had her family!
Now, how do you manage an enthusiastic, excitable six year old who finally found a family of her own? “The kid wouldn’t sit still. What to do with all
that energy? We thought we should channel it.”, Jen recalls. We thought about sports, art but settled on the local music theater group.”
Her new sisters were all members of the group and really enjoyed their time on stage. Cassidy wanted in. She was too young to join the group,
their rule was an age 8 start. But her new family fought for her, encouraging the group’s director to take a chance on the young girl. He would
relent, making six year old Cassidy the group’s youngest cast member of their production of The Wizard of OZ. She flourished on stage. The young
girl was convinced the audience was there to see her exclusively at every performance.
Jen says the young girl found the stage a great place to get out all the excess energy and anxiety she had been displaying in her new family. “She
had so much sass, so much confidence that she took to it like a fish to water. There was no way she was going to let herself fail.” She would
perform with the group successfully for several years.
A gratuitous move to California for Mike’s work put the chances of Cassidy’s dream of becoming a working actress within her grasp. According to
Jen, “We were very supportive of her and our move to California made it easier for her to pursue her dreams. We feel that her acting began as and
continues to be a positive outlet for her to express herself. She has a lot of true life experience and emotion to bring to the table which makes her
real and relatable. It is so much fun to watch her grow as an actress. She LOVES acting. For Cassidy, acting is a life-long journey. It is her career
and what she wants to do for the rest of her life. It takes a special kind of person to be able to handle the rejection, yet constantly keep your head
up and not let it affect your confidence and determination to succeed.”
“It was that determination that would aid her in turning a monologue she had written for an acting showcase into the foundation for a non-profit to
help kids in foster care. “As a young child in care and knowing how it felt to be going through, it I remember saying to myself ‘If I ever get out of
here, I am going to help these kids.’” Says Cassidy.
“When I saw that I was actually getting a positive response and realized that I could actually make a difference. I had experienced a lot of bullying,
both in foster care and even after I was adopted. I had a very big mouth and was very bossy. And because I put up this wall to protect myself, I was
misunderstood and teased. I also did not have patience for people who did not understand the system and what it meant to be in foster care or to
be adopted. When my monologue turned into a speech, and was published in a magazine, I got excited and knew that it was time to do something
with all of these ideas I had written down and drawn on napkins. I asked everyone I knew to help me get started. I was amazed at the support I got
and it made me feel incredible to see how many people believed in me! My Mom has been my biggest cheerleader and source of encouragement!”
Jen recalls the start. “Cassidy started her own foundation LoveGivesChances, after writing a speech about her journey through the foster care
system. Her speech was published and she soon saw that her voice was being heard. She had a lot to say, and with the realization that people
were listening, she decided that it was her purpose in life to make a difference for the 100,000 foster kids still looking for their forever families!
Cassidy designed a beautiful SURVIVOR pendant on a napkin, had her own idea for the name, the logo and her motto, and because of her ability
to connect with people she was able to find the help she needed to put her ideas and dreams into motion.” Hard work paid off in the form of an
Angel in Adoption Award from the Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute (CCAI) in 2013
Awards are nice but something else is driving the young actress “What makes me most proud is when I see that I have touched another kid. Seeing
them smile, find their confidence an feel a sense of hope! I love getting to know the kids just talking to them and letting them know that they are not
alone. I love when someone sends me an email or Facebook message to tell me that I have inspired them and encouraged them to go after their
own dreams and not give up. I love to put one of my SURVIVOR pendants (I designed) on someone’s neck and see their face light up and feel that
sense of hope!! It is very empowering to see that little me can make a difference. I want to empower as many kids as I can to go after their dreams
and create their own positive support systems. I want every single person that has taken a journey through the system to proudly wear a
SURVIVOR pendant and feel empowered. I want to show everyone that adopting a child for foster care can be amazing, and that these kids all
have their own dreams that deserve to be supported so they can come true for them!”
The foundation continues to grow. Cassidy continues to introduce herself to the people involved with foster care and adoption. If you are involved
in foster care or adoption you’ll own a SURVIVOR pendant within the next few years. Cassidy is determined to help as many young people in care
as she can and to find homes for any kid in care that wants one.
As Cassidy explains she’s very busy these days. “I recently wrapped a new film titled ‘Zoey To The Max’. I play the lead role of Zoey, a 13 year old
girl in foster care. I really connected with Zoey, as I have been through similar struggles. I seem to get a lot of those types of roles! I can play those
roles with my eyes closed! I am also excited to be working on a new show currently titled ADOPTING DREAMS that allows me to combine my acting
side and my advocacy side together. I am very excited about this project because it will definitely help make a lot of dreams come true!” Chances
are Adopting Dreams which is being shopped to studios now will find a home and be a big success.
She hopes that will propel her for more challenging roles. “A role that pushes my limits. I love to reach down deep and use my experiences and my
emotions to bring my characters to life. I’d like to follow in the footsteps of my favorite actresses, Dakota Fanning, Jennifer Lawrence, Ellen Page,
and Shailene Woodley. And the woman whose career I would most like to emulate, Sandra Bullock. She’s a lot like me sarcastic, funny and real. ”
That quote “real” factor is what sets Cassidy Mack apart from most 15 year old actresses. The best actresses draw from experience they draw from
their life. Not many over 15 year olds have led a life as full and diverse as this young starlet. There is little doubt that this survivor with the help of
her loving family will help thousands of kids in the same situation she found herself.
Love gives chances, and hard work and a positive attitude turn those chances into success.
Owner/Editor - Chris Chmielewski