Take this quiz to test your knowledge of foster children and this month’s spotlight organization, Foster Care to Success! Answers can be found at the end of the post.
1.) What is the average age of a child in foster
care?
a)
20 years
b)
15 years
c)
10 years
d)
5 years
e)
50 years
2.) What states does the organization Foster Care to Success offer their funding to?
a)
Virginia
b)
Virginia, Texas, Florida, and California
c)
Alabama, Illinois, and Wisconsin
d)
A and C
e)
All 50 states
3.) What is the average percentage for a child in
foster care to graduate college?
a)
50%
b)
30%
c)
20%
d)
10%
e)
3%
4.) TRUE OR FALSE? 25% of students graduate from
college within five years in Foster Care to Success?
5.) Since 1991, how much funding has Foster to Care
Success awarded to students?
a)
$10,000
b)
$1 million
c)
$5 million
d)
$10 million
Instructions: For questions 6-9, fill in the
blanks using the word bank below.
|
6.) As an individual, you can help Foster Care to Success through the ____________ Program, to help a former foster student attend college.
7 7.) You can also help fund or make a _________ that
will be sent to students in the program 3 times a year as encouragement (for as
little as $40)
8.) If you are 25 years or older, you can also
become a coach/mentor with training to
be a role model and advocate for students and provide ___________________ to
stay in school and excel.
9.) You can also contribute to the Red Scarf
Program, which provides _____ for emergency expenses. Anyone can help by _____,
_______, or ________red scarves.
answers: 1.) C// 2.)E// 3.)E// 4.)false--it's 60%!// 5.)D// 6.)B// 7.)A// 8.)C// 9.)D// 10.)true
This month’s spotlight organization is Foster Care to Success. Check out the information below to learn more about them!
This month’s focus is on the difficulty of emerging from the
foster care system. Young adults leaving foster care are faced with the
challenge of finding their ways without the assurance of a safety net a family
provides. Almost 25 percent of them do not have a high school diploma and a
mere 2.5 percent achieve a four-year college degree by age 26. Furthermore,
they face a high likelihood of homelessness and incarceration. Without the
financial and emotional support of a family, young adults leaving foster care
are left to find their own paths and support themselves.
To help
combat this problem, Foster Care to Success works to provide former foster with
guidance to find avenues to success through higher education. Foster Care to
Success was founded in 1981 and is the oldest and largest national nonprofit
organization helping young adults from the foster care system attain success
after high school. They strive to not only provide students with financial
support for college, but for trade school and vocational school as well,
stressing the importance of matching individuals with the path that best fits
them.
Foster
Care to Success runs programs including Aim Higher and 21st Century
Workplace Success which help young adults leaving foster care develop skills to
improve college and employment readiness. The organization has also awarded
over $10 million worth of scholarships funded by donations from foundations,
corporations, and individuals in addition to administering Education Training
Vouchers to help pay for education and its subsequent expenses. In certain
states, Foster Care to Success awards state-funded grants for former foster
youth attending post-secondary educational institutions. Adults over the age of
25 can apply to become coaches to students, providing support, encouragement,
and advice. Anyone can lend a hand by donating items to be distributed to
students in care packages which Foster Care to Success send to former foster
youth three times each year.
Over 60
percent of the students in Foster Care to Success’s Sponsored Scholarship
Program graduate from college in under six years which is more than twenty
times as great as the percentage of students from foster care who attend
college without the organization’s support. Individuals can offer support by
making financial donations, coaching students, and contributing to care
packages. Visit the Foster Care to Success website for more information. Thank
you to Lynn Davis for taking to speak to us!
Together We Rise
-Together We Rise is dedicated to providing opportunities to
foster children that they might not otherwise have
-Foster children often cannot afford luxury goods such as
sports equipment, suitcases, bicycles, etc.
-Through donations and fundraising campaigns, Together We
Rise helps provide opportunities for these children.
-Together We Rise also allows you to design your own
fundraising campaign! Sign up here: https://www.togetherwerise.org/fundraise-
Coptic Orphans
Goals:
-To unlock the potential of orphans in Egypt through
grassroot partnerships and volunteer networks.
-To break help orphan children obtain better education and
break the cycle of poverty
- To give at risk children the opportunities and skills to
become change makers in their communities.
-Volunteer 3 weeks in Egypt teaching orphans English for
youth 17 years old and older.
-Plan fundraising events
- Collect school supplies
-Volunteer at the local office in Merrifield
-Sponsor a child for $50 a month
Fairfax CASA
Goals:
-To provide children in need of advocation and
representation in Fairfax County Juvenile and Domestic Relations Court
-To enable these children to live in a safe home for the
duration of their youth
-To represent a child in court as a court appointed special
advocate
-Supporting CASA by participating in the “Run for the
Children Run/walk” on May 2nd, 2015
-To attend an information session on January 31st, 2015 from
11 AM to 12 PM at Tysons-Pimmit Regional Library to learn about long term
volunteer opportunities.
