FYI Helps Local Foster Youth With New Giving Campaign

Posted by: KHTS Newsroom in Community News, Santa Clarita Latest News December 2, 2024 - 11:59 am 0 869 Views

Fostering Youth Independence (FYI), is celebrating the season of giving with a new campaign to support local foster youth who are aging out of the L.A. County foster system and have never had a permanent home or family in Santa Clarita.

This year donations to FYI will go even further with a dollar-for-dollar match up to $30,000, made possible by the generous gifts from its matching donor team made up of its board of directors and other benefactors.

FYI aims to help local foster youth by finding them homes, going to school, getting their license, and even going beyond by hosting events that youth without families would otherwise not be able to enjoy.

Currently, FYI serves 85 local foster youth.

To illustrate the impact FYI can make in supporting local foster youth, Carolyn Olsen, FYI’s co-founder and executive director, recounts the story of a young man named Jorge*.

Note: Names have been changed to protect privacy.

Jorge messaged FYI to get some help. Suddenly he was getting his high school diploma and on his way to pursue a trade program at College of the Canyons. After that, he was paired with an Ally, got his license, and moved into stable housing.

Grateful for the support and direction he received, Jorge has been spreading the word about FYI. He recently referred two friends from a group home where he lived while in foster care.

The first, Emilio, was about to age out of the system. Almost 21 years old, he had no hope for the future. He did not have his driver’s license and would soon become homeless. Jorge told Emilio about FYI and explained that he would have to live or attend school in Santa Clarita in order to qualify.

So Emilio, who was still living in L.A., enrolled at COC, commuting by train to attend his classes. He joined FYI in July and was paired with a caring Ally. He participates in the “Ready, Set, Drive!” program to prepare for his driving test, and he just moved into a room that FYI helped him find.

In September, Gina received another text from Jorge:

“Leon was in the same group home as me. He just got in a really rough situation and he really needs some help.”

When 20-year-old Leon came in for his intake meeting, he explained that he lost his housing and was sleeping in his car. As he was not licensed to drive the car he was living in, he was constantly in fear of losing the only roof he had over his head. One of FYI’s Allies gave him a temporary place to stay while they looked for something more permanent. He was paired with his own Ally, who, after learning that Leon had never had a support system, responded, “Well, he does now!”

“We are grateful that Jorge shared the hope he found in FYI. With their Allies alongside them and the FYI community surrounding them, Jorge, Emilio and Leon are on track for a successful future. And this is just one story out of many that shows how a caring community is able to help a struggling foster youth,” Olsen said.

FYI also recently hosted a Friendsgiving for FYI youth, sharing a Thanksgiving dinner with other youth and Allies and celebrating the season of giving with a warm meal and caring community.

Here are some of the ways a donation can help a foster youth succeed in school and become independent:

$25 covers the cost of an item a youth needs to learn a trade (e.g., safety goggles, welding gloves or scrubs)
$50 pays for a tank of gas so a youth can get to work or school
$75 pays for assistance with financial aid applications along with monitoring and follow-up to ensure students receive all financial aid for which they qualify
$100 supplies one weeks worth of groceries for a youth facing financial hardship
$150 pays for a behind-the-wheel driving lesson so a youth can get a driver’s license
$250 provides a two-night emergency stay at a motel or help with rent for a youth facing Homelessness
$300 provides “Welcome Home” assistance to purchase household furnishings for youth moving into a new place

“Any amount donors invest in FYI will be leveraged to empower youth to succeed,” Olsen said.

FYI is encouraging three ways to give:

Donate through the website at www.fyifosteryouth.org/donations. Make an impact all year long by becoming a monthly recurring donor, or making a one-time investment.
Mail a check to FYI, P.O. Box 801604, Santa Clarita, CA 91380.
Give from your Donor Advised Fund (DAF).

Further information about Fostering Youth Independence can be found on the website.