Black Author's Book About Foster Care Endorsed by U.S. Presidential Inaugural Rabbi

Jo-Carolyn Goode | 3/21/2024, 2:44 p.m.
Children’s book, Forgotten Baby, for readers ages 8 and up, follows the journey of a 16-year-old girl named Mytaé dealing …


Children’s book, Forgotten Baby, for readers ages 8 and up, follows the journey of a 16-year-old girl named Mytaé dealing with the hardship of losing her mother at a young age and entering into foster care. Forgotten Baby provides true-to-life insight into the struggles that children and teenagers face while growing up without their biological parents.

This important book for, both, parents and educators, was co-authored by Dream North Foundation founder and CEO, Nychol Lyna and Arthur Romeo, who also illustrated the book.

The book is endorsed by President Obama and President Biden inaugural Rabbi, Sharon Braus, founder of the Los Angeles IKAR Jewish Spiritual Community and Synagogue.

Watch Nychol Lyna discuss Dream North Foundation and Forgotten Baby on FOX 11 Los Angeles’ special feature segment, “Wednesday’s Child” HERE. The segment is titled, “Children’s Book Shares Life Experience of a Child in Foster Care.”

Author and Founder of Dream North Foundation, Nychol Lyna, 36, grew up in Inglewood, California in an underserved environment mired by gangs and a public school system that failed to meet her needs. With big dreams intact, Nychol went on to earn her Bachelor of Science degree, followed by her MBA from California State University at Dominguez Hills , and a second Master’s Degree in International Business while living in Spain.

After returning to the states and working in public education within the Los Angeles Unified School District, she learned the plight of what she came to see as “forgotten” children. She witnessed a population of underserved children in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, many of whom had come through the foster care system, without anyone advocating for their emotional well-being, their educational needs or their future.


A duel resident of Los Angeles, California and Las Vegas, Nevada, Nychol (pictured left) launched the Dream North Foundation, a 501c3 nonprofit organization, in 2021.

She quickly went on to secure partnerships/sponsorships with Clark County, Nevada and The Clark County School District, Las Vegas’ Clark County Library, the Los Angeles Police Museum, In-N-Out Burger Foundation, Target, Better World Books, Comfort Cases, the Rodger and Kate Greaf Family Foundation and Whole Foods to name a handful of sponsorship partners who believed in Nychol’s vision for a world where no child is forgotten or overlooked.

Additionally, Nychol and the Dream North Foundation have received recognitions from Assembly Member Wendy Carrillo, former Mayor of Los Angeles Eric Garcetti, former Congresswomen Karen Bass, Los Angeles City Councilmember Imelda Padilla (6th District).

Currently, Los Angeles County Supervisor Holly J. Mitchell  of California’s 2nd congressional district sponsors Dream North Foundation’s after school programs for two years running in Los Angeles County.

Forgotten Baby is a unique children’s and family book that shines a spotlight on an often overlooked population of children in foster care, and is a powerful validation for this population of children and adolescents, their caretakers, and their educators.

The book is currently carried at the Los Angeles County Library, the Windmill Library in Clark County Nevada, and in eight different libraries in The Bahamas. The book will soon be on shelves in Atlanta-area libraries.

Follow Dream North Foundation on Instagram 

“I read forgotten baby several times with my child. What a sad, beautiful, and yet, hopeful story. I am so moved by [this book]. I know Nychol had this book in her for years. I am so glad she can share it with the world. Mazel Tov and Congratulations.” – Rabbi Sharon Brous, inaugural rabbi for President Barak Obama and President Joe Biden; and author of bestseller, “The Amen Effect: Ancient Wisdom to Heal Our Hearts and Mend Our Broken World”