Actress says foster care served her well
In her book, Victoria Rowell writes about those who raised her

By Courtenay Edelhart
courtenay.edelhart@indystar.com

Actress and dancer Victoria Rowell plays Drucilla Winters on the CBS daytime drama "The Young and the Restless," and spent eight seasons as Dick Van Dyke's sidekick on "Diagnosis Murder." Her film work includes starring opposite Samuel L. Jackson and rapper 50 Cent in the upcoming war drama "Home of the Brave."

When she's not performing, Rowell, 47, is an outspoken advocate for foster children. She is a national spokeswoman for Casey Family Services, an arm of the Annie E. Casey Foundation. In 1990, she founded the Rowell Foster Children's Positive Plan (RFCPP), which enriches foster children through the arts and sports.
Rowell was taken into foster care at 16 days old after she was born to a white mother with schizophrenia and a black, unknown father. She lived in multiple foster homes until she was legally emancipated at the age of 18.
The actress has chronicled her life story in "The Women Who Raised Me: A Memoir," (HarperCollins/William Morrow, $25.95) and will be promoting her autobiography at a lecture and book signing at 7 p.m. May 3 at the Madame Walker Theatre.